Reflections from the International Research Conference on FASD

This article was written by Sarah Beeby. Sarah is beginning her master’s degree in School and Clinical Child Psychology at the University of Alberta in Fall 2025, under the supervision of Dr. Jacqueline Pei. As an undergraduate, she completed an honours thesis in psychology with Dr. Pei, exploring resilience and internalizing mental health symptoms in children and youth with FASD. She presented this work as a poster at the FASD United Conference in Seattle in March 2025. Sarah is a part of the 2025 cohort of the CanFASD Trainee Program.

This March, I had the privilege of attending the 9th International Research Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Seattle, hosted by FASD United. I presented a poster based on my undergraduate honours thesis, which draws on data from the PEACH study (Prenatal Exposure and Child Brain and Mental Health), a project co-led by the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta. Rooted in a strengths-based approach, my research focused on resilience and mental health in children and youth with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE).  

My project explored resilience in the context of internalizing mental health symptoms, examining what supports better outcomes for youth with PAE. Using both caregiver and youth reports of anxiety and depression symptoms, we found that strong relationships, especially with peers and caregivers, were among the most consistent predictors of lower youth-reported anxiety and depression symptoms. These findings support the idea that resilience is not an individual trait someone has or doesn’t have, but a process shaped by relationships and support systems. The hopeful part is this: resilience can be nurtured when we focus on building and strengthening relationships. 

Sharing this work at my first international conference was a significant milestone — but what I carried home with me was something more profound: a renewed understanding that relationships are not only central to resilience, but to the way we conduct research, talk about FASD, and engage with communities. 

That same message — that relationships matter — echoed throughout the conference, beginning with the powerful pre-conference stigma session. In small, honest group discussions, I gained a deeper understanding of how stigma continues to shape the discourse around FASD. One especially eye-opening conversation centered around prevention messaging, particularly phrases like “FASD is 100% preventable.” While often well-intentioned, this kind of language can be harmful. It risks suggesting that people with FASD shouldn’t exist, or that their existence is a failure. It also places disproportionate blame on women struggling with addiction, while overlooking the realities of unplanned pregnancies and systemic barriers. It was a powerful reminder that language matters — and that we must strive for compassionate, nuanced conversations that honour complexity and uphold dignity. Across sessions, I heard a shared call to move away from deficit-based frameworks — the same shift that inspired my thesis from the start. But what struck me most were the moments where people shared stories, not statistics. Those conversations taught me more than any slide deck could. 

The most powerful of these moments came from people with lived and living experience: individuals with FASD, birth mothers, and Indigenous leaders from across Canada, the U.S., and Australia. In one session focused on research with Indigenous communities, a speaker shared a simple but profound truth: “It’s all about relationships.” That message stayed with me. While researchers often present relationality as a new finding, Indigenous communities have long understood relationships as foundational to healing and wellbeing. We were challenged to reflect on how the knowledge we “discover” through data often echoes what these communities have lived and known for generations. This resonated deeply with me. My research, in a different but parallel way, also pointed to the central role of relationships in supporting mental health. I’ve leaned on literature and statistics to make that case, but Indigenous communities have been calling for this all along. That realization affirmed a commitment I will carry with me: that scientific knowledge and community wisdom must not only coexist — they must walk together. 

I’m deeply grateful to have been part of this international gathering, which was transformative both personally and professionally. As I move forward in this field, I carry with me the lessons of this conference: to centre relationships, listen deeply, and contribute to research that reflects not just the challenges, but the strengths, of individuals with FASD and their families.