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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - A presentation delivered in Fort Simpson last month aimed to change perceptions of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

"It's not all doom and gloom like they thought in the past," said Doreen Reid, FASD consultant and project co-ordinator with the Department of Justice.

Doreen Reid, the FASD consultant and project co-ordinator for Community Justice and Community Policing, holds the booklet of information she distributed during a series of presentations she gave in Fort Simpson on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"People with FASD do have strengths, " she added.

If given support when it's needed, people with the disorder can be successful in some ways, she said.

Reid and Charlotte Joa, the restorative justice coordinator with the department, delivered seven presentations in Fort Simpson on Nov. 19 and 20.

Reid's goal with the presentation is to shift the perception of FASD away from it being an alcohol-based disorder to viewing it as a brain injury.

The difference changes the focus from seeing the child of a drinking mother to seeing someone who has a traumatic brain injury, said Reid.

If FASD is viewed as a brain injury people living with the disorder will be more likely to get support and the general population will be more interested in learning about FASD, she said.

It's important to understand the difficulties and challenges someone living with FASD faces on a daily basis and how we can work with them at their level, said Reid.

She told her 18-person audience that identifying and fostering the potential of a person with FASD is the best way to achieve success.

Reid also gave a series of presentations in the schools for students in Grades 5 to 12 that focused on prevention.

Reid told students if women didn't drink while they're pregnant and men supported their wives their generation could stop FASD.

"We can wipe this out completely," she said.

From a justice perspective, Reid also said people with FASD are more likely to enter the justice system both as victims and offenders.

Awareness about FASD is improving but there is still a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about the disorder, said Reid.

Hilda Day, the community justice co-ordinator for Fort Simpson, invited Reid to present in the community.

Part of the goal of community justice is prevention and that happens through increased awareness, said Day.

"I think with more awareness there will be more services offered that are tailored to individual needs so there will be more support for people with FASD," said Day.