9th September Is International FASD Awareness Day
At 9.09am on 9th September, people around the world pause to mark a message that deserves to be heard clearly and without judgement: 9th September is International FASD Awareness Day. It is a day to recognise people living with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), to stand alongside their families, and to strengthen prevention through accurate, compassionate information.
For many families, FASD awareness is not confined to one date. It is present in the daily work of supporting regulation, communication, memory, sleep, sensory needs, learning, relationships and safety. International FASD Awareness Day creates a vital opportunity to make those experiences more visible, challenge misunderstanding and ask for support that truly fits.
Why 9th September matters
The date and time are deliberate. The ninth day of the ninth month, marked at 9.09am, represents the nine months of pregnancy and the importance of an alcohol-free pregnancy. It is a public-health message, but it must never become a reason to blame or shame people.
FASD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol can affect the developing brain and body at any stage of pregnancy, sometimes before a person knows they are pregnant. The impact varies greatly from one individual to another. Some people may have clear needs from early childhood; others may go unrecognised for years, particularly when their challenges are misunderstood as defiance, poor parenting, anxiety or a lack of effort.
Awareness matters because recognition can change the response. When families, schools, health services and communities understand FASD, they can move away from asking, ‘What is wrong with them?’ and towards asking, ‘What support will help them thrive?’
International FASD Awareness Day is about people, not labels
A diagnosis or appropriate assessment can offer a framework for understanding someone’s experiences. It does not define their personality, talents, hopes or future. People with FASD have individual strengths, interests and abilities. They may be warm, creative, practical, determined, funny, caring or highly skilled in areas that are meaningful to them.
At the same time, FASD can involve significant and lifelong challenges. A person may understand something in one moment and be unable to recall or apply it later. They may find abstract language, time, money, cause and effect, transitions or sensory environments overwhelming. Stress can make these challenges more visible. This is not a matter of choosing not to cope.
The most helpful approach is to adapt the environment and build on strengths. Clear routines, calm communication, repeated teaching, visual prompts, movement breaks and realistic expectations can reduce pressure. What helps will depend on the person, their age, their health, their home life and the demands around them. There is no single strategy that works for every family.
Recognition can reduce isolation
Families often describe a long path to answers. They may have known from an early age that their child needed more support, while being told to wait, try harder or use approaches that did not reflect their child’s neurodevelopmental needs. Adults with FASD may also have spent years feeling misunderstood, especially if they did not receive recognition when they were younger.
This uncertainty can be exhausting. It can affect family relationships, education, work, finances and wellbeing. Carers may be navigating appointments and services while responding to needs that do not fit neatly into one system. A compassionate response acknowledges that load rather than adding to it.
Appropriate assessment matters because it can help identify a person’s profile of strengths and support needs. It can also inform practical planning across health, education, social care and daily living. Assessment is not about placing limits on someone. It is about making sure expectations, communication and supports are fair and informed.
For a student, this may mean predictable classroom routines, instructions broken into smaller steps, visual supports and extra time to process information. Teachers, SNAs and other education professionals can make a substantial difference when they understand that a repeated question or forgotten instruction may reflect a brain-based need, not unwillingness. Consistency between home and school is valuable, but families should not be expected to carry this work alone.
Prevention needs compassion as well as clarity
International FASD Awareness Day is also a prevention day. The safest choice during pregnancy, and when planning to conceive, is not to drink any alcohol. This message needs to be accessible, consistent and supported by services that people can trust.
Prevention is most effective when it is free from stigma. People need accurate information before pregnancy and during pregnancy, alongside practical support where alcohol use is a concern. Fear of blame can stop people from seeking help. Kindness, privacy and respectful care make it more likely that someone will ask questions, share what is happening and accept support.
It is equally important to remember that no family should be judged because FASD is part of their story. Blame does not improve outcomes for a child, young person or adult living with a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability. Understanding, support and early action do.
What meaningful awareness looks like
Awareness is not simply posting a fact for one day of the year. It is reflected in the decisions people make afterwards. A health professional might consider prenatal alcohol exposure as part of a careful developmental history. An education setting might review whether its supports are genuinely accessible for students with additional needs. An employer might offer clear instructions, predictable tasks and a supportive induction. A family member might replace criticism with curiosity.
It also means listening to people with living experience of FASD. Families and individuals affected by FASD understand the gap between a plan on paper and the realities of a difficult morning, a distressing appointment or a student who has reached capacity. Their insight should shape services, training and policy.
If you are marking the day in a school, workplace or community group, keep the message simple and respectful. Share the fact that FASD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability. Explain that prenatal alcohol exposure can affect development. Encourage an alcohol-free pregnancy. Most importantly, make room for the voices of people affected by FASD and avoid language that suggests fault, failure or hopelessness. You can always wear red shoes, take a picture and post to your social media with the hashtag #RedShoesRock, or if you can, light up your home or workplace building in red, and capture the moment at night - then share it across your social media. You'll be joining buildings across Ireland including Leinster House, and Enniskillen Castle, as well as landmarks across the world like Niagara Falls. Please remember to tag @FASDIreland in your message, and ask family and friends to like and share your posts.
A day to ask for better support
Awareness must lead to action. People affected by FASD need timely pathways to appropriate assessment, FASD-informed health care, education supports, family peer connection and practical help through the systems that shape their lives. Professionals need training that goes beyond a brief definition and helps them respond in ways that are informed, realistic and compassionate.
In Ireland, FASD Ireland brings together living experience, peer support, information and advocacy so that families do not have to navigate these challenges in isolation. Connecting with others who understand can bring practical ideas, reassurance and the reminder that you are not alone.
On 9th September, a pause at 9.09am can be a small but powerful act. Let it be a commitment to see people more clearly, support families without judgement and build communities where every person with FASD is met with understanding, dignity and the chance to flourish.
For more information...
Please contact FASD Hub Ireland on 065 670 3096 Open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm. FASD Hub Ireland is a parent led, peer supportive, national telephone helpline provided by volunteers who have living experience of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
