A clinical researcher and head of a Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder research team says he will push for “bold and seismic” reform to bring about positive change for Aboriginal children.
The Telethon Institute’s Dr James Fitzpatrick appeared this week before a coronial inquest into the suicides of 13 young Aboriginal people in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder or FASD is a lifelong condition relating to permanent brain damage caused by exposure to alcohol during pregnancy.
Speaking to ABC Perth, Dr Fitzpatrick says the disorder is “probably the most potent driver” behind suicide in remote communities.
