A new study on intervention in the first three years of life for infants with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) has received a NIH-NIAAA grant for $231,364. Professor Tracy Jirikowic, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, leads the study along with co-investigators Assistant Professor Lin-Ya Hsu, PhD, PT; UW LEND Program faculty Misty Pruner, PhD, OTR/L; and Heather Carmichael Olson, PhD, from the UW Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
The research team has developed the Families Moving Forward (FMF) Bridges early intervention model, based on the original FMF program that was originally designed for preschool and school-aged children. This study adds to the original program through FASD-informed and trauma-informed intervention components. This grant will help to test the FMF Bridges model’s feasibility and initial efficacy. The results will inform a larger scale trial in the future.