Turner Judy: General Debates 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Turner Judy: General Debates 
[Sitting date: 15 October 2003. Volume:612;Page:9192. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JUDY TURNER (United Future) 
: 
 Today I want to talk about the fact that an individual’s place in society is hugely determined by his or her neurological functioning. Foetal alcohol syndrome foetal alcohol effects alcohol-related neuro-developmental disorders static encephalopathy and alcohol-exposed or alcohol-related birth defects are all names for a spectrum of disorders caused when a pregnant mother consumes alcohol. I would like to spend the 5 minutes I have in the general debate to raise members’ awareness of the immensity of this problem and to suggest some interventions we need to consider in order to reduce the number of children born with alcohol-related symptoms and to improve outcomes for those who suffer from an alcohol-related disorder. 
At present it is estimated that an individual with an alcohol-related disorder will in his or her lifetime cost the taxpayer at a conservative estimate an additional $2 million. That money will be spent on his or her health problems special-education needs psychotherapy and counselling welfare and the use of corrections facilities. We can add to that the high cost to families of foetal alcohol syndrome children permanently dependent upon them and the problems become even more urgent. 
The symptoms are varied. Some individuals have a distinctive physical appearance and lower IQs while others look normal but have permanent damage to internal organs are unable to cope socially and have learning difficulties. The biggest problem facing parents and caregivers is that most children can go undiagnosed for years. Families cope with children who have attention deficits memory deficits hyperactivity difficulty in learning abstract concepts low problem-solving skills difficulty in learning from consequences an absence of remorse for wrongs done poor judgment immature behaviour and poor impulse control. Often these symptoms are put down to bad parenting. However these children are not behaviour problems. They are the result of permanent unchanging damage to the brain that can and should be diagnosed for the good of everyone involved. 
Adults with foetal alcohol syndrome have difficulty in maintaining successful independence. They have trouble staying in school keeping jobs or sustaining healthy relationships. A report done in 1996 of more than 400 people with foetal alcohol syndrome or foetal alcohol effects reported that 94 percent had mental health problems 80 percent were dependent for their daily needs 80 percent had employment problems 60 percent were diagnosed with attention deficit disorder 60 percent were expelled from or dropped out of school 60 percent were in trouble with the law 50 percent had inappropriate sexual behaviours and the list goes on and on. 
Early diagnosis is extremely important. With early and intensive intervention a child can be helped immensely. Experts say that there is a small window of opportunity from birth to the age of 10 or 12. Those first 10 to 12 years cover a period when the greatest development of fixed neural pathways occurs. That is when alternative coping pathways are most easily built to compensate for the damaged areas of the brain. Identification or diagnosis is therefore imperative. 
In New Zealand we need to set up a national registry so the Government can adequately plan for the associated problems from foetal alcohol syndrome. We need to train up diagnostic teams and learn from the wealth of overseas expertise in this area. The rates of foetal alcohol syndrome and foetal alcohol effects are estimated by the Ministry of Health to be considerably higher than the combined statistics of birth defects from Down’s syndrome cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis. 
We need to take our parliamentary heads out of the sand and realise that foetal alcohol defects are not rare. We need to start targeting families with information about how preventable this problem is. Recent statistics tell us that last year 8000 babies were born to teenage mothers. The Alcohol Advisory Council reports that 82 percent of teenage expectant mothers drink. The same report also highlights the fact that 36 percent of adult women drink during pregnancy. We need to do something.