Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

The Arc Advances Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Education Throughout April

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and The Arc of Winnebago, Boone and Ogle Counties is advancing its education initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) during the month. FASD is the single most common cause of intellectual and developmental disabilities which is 100% preventable.

The Arc received a second grant from The Arc of the United States to partner with local medical professionals in educating people living in the counties served about FASD prevention and the importance of abstaining from alcohol while pregnant. Staff from The Arc will meet with physicians, nurses and mid-wives and deliver informational tool kits to be used in conversations with pregnant or soon-to-be pregnant women. Also, there will be a training for medical personnel to earn CEUs.

Tiffani Yeoman, Homebased Service Facilitator with The Arc, stated, “I feel privileged to have the opportunity to team with medical professionals to saturate our community to, hopefully, prevent more babies from being born with FASD.”

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with lifelong implications. The term FASD is not intended for use as a clinical diagnosis. It refers to conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD).

There is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant. All types of alcohol are equally harmful, including all wines and beer. By abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy, a woman can ensure that her baby will be free from alcohol-related defects and have a chance for a healthy life.

Receiving the grant closely aligns with The Arc’s objective to help families raise children diagnosed with an intellectual and developmental disability at home and support adults to live in their communities and participate with work, worship, family and friends. The Arc continues to promote the message, “No Amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.”

For more information about FASD, please visit this link or contact

The Arc of Winnebago, Boone and Ogle Counties for an information kit.

Functional Needs Support Services

The Winnebago Country Health Department is responsible for ensuring that all community residents including those with functional needs are prepared in the event of an emergency. In order to identify those who need assistance with evacuation efforts, they request the Functional Needs Voluntary Registration be completed and returned per the instructions given within the document.

Illinois Imagines

The Arc is a partner agency of the Rockford Collaboration of the Illinois Imagines project.
Illinois Imagines is a project of the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) funded by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). In 2006, DHS received a three-year grant from OVW to examine and propose changes to the systems responding to women with disabilities who experience sexual violence. DHS’ grant project, called Illinois Imagines, is designed to strengthen the service delivery systems so that women with disabilities who survive sexual violence will receive a proactive, individualized, compassionate response to their experience.

Illinois Imagines convened a project team including representatives of key agencies working in the fields of disability and sexual assault. While bringing together partners from various areas of study can be challenging, all project team members shared a common vision of justice, compassion, person-centered services, and the empowerment of all women with disabilities who have survived sexual violence.

The project focus is to change Illinois systems to better serve women with disabilities who experience sexual violence.

Illinois Imagines Toolkit Overview Guide
ICASA