Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Guide for Families and Communities

Ann Streissguth, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She received her master;s degree in child development from the University of California at Berkeley and her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Washington. Dr. Streissguth is a licensed clinical psychologist with a specialty in behavioral teratology. She has 25 years of experience working with individuals with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effects (FAE), as well as with their families and communities. Researchers at the University of Washington Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit, which Dr. Streissguth directs, have investigated many types of prenatal influences on later development in offspring, including alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, aspirin, and acetaminophen. Prior to her position at the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit, Dr. Streissguth studied the impact of poverty, preschool experience, caregiving experiences, and the rubella virus on child development. In all, she has published more than 150 scientific papers, two books, and a slide-teaching curriculum on alcohol and pregnancy. Dr. Streissguth and her colleagues have been actively involved in research on preventing FAS/FAE since these conditions were identified. In 1978, she collaborated with Dr. Ruth Little in a 3-year project (The Pregnancy and Health Program) funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to develop methods to intervene in female alcohol abuse during pregnancy and to prevent FAS/FAE. More recently, Dr. Streissguth and colleagues developed and evaluated the impact of a model advocacy program (Seattle Birth to 3) for helping high-risk women who are abusing alcohol and drugs during pregnancy and not receiving prenatal care. At the conclusion of the 5-year research program funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), a local philanthropist provided funding to continue the program; then the governor of Washington State provided funds to develop a second site in another city. As of 1997, the Washington State legislature has funded the two sites for the biennium. Dr. Streissguth has been principal investigator of the Pregnancy and Health Study, a longitudinal prospective study of the relationship between early experiences and child development, funded by NIAAA since 1974. She has completed a major research project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on secondary disabilities in individuals with FAS/FAE and associated risk and protective factors, which culminated in an international conference in Seattle in September 1996. Since 1983, Dr. Streissguth has worked with Native American communities and the Indian Health Service to provide FAS training workshops, screening clinics, research findings, and direct consultations to Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. With her colleagues, she has also initiated a 5-year study of magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological functioning in people with FAS/FAE, funded by NIAAA. Along with Dr. Paul Lemoine of France, Dr. Streissguth was co-recipient of the 1985 International Jellinek Memorial Award for Advancement of the Field of Alcohol Studies. In 1987, along with Dr. Ruth Little, she received the annual award for outstanding contribution from the American Medical Society on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies. In 1992, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence presented the Silver Key Award to Dr. Streissguth on behalf of her outstanding contribution and research on FAS/FAE. In 1997, she received the Outstanding Public Service Award from the University of Washington for her efforts to help individuals with FAS/FAE and their families.