There was a gathering of people in Portage la Prairie yesterday discussing the various issues surrounding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD diagnostic coordinator for Southern Health-Santé Sud Nancy Neufeld was one of them.

Nancy Neufeld and Ken Lamoureaux"There's a lot of education focused around FASD," explains Neufeld. "So, there are a lot of topics and they're not always about the diagnosis. They might be about some other issues around FASD. That's why this topic we're talking about today is the stigma that's associated with FASD."

FASD intervention and support consultant Ken Lamoureaux notes a language guide has been created to help people remove the stigma usually associated with the disorder by changing the words we use when discussing the issue, and several coalitions are working throughout Manitoba toward that end.