Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS): A Basic Review for Mental Health Professionals and Allied Disciplines   (MEMBERS ONLY)

Webinar Objectives:

• Define Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)
• Develop a basic knowledge of the developmental and behavioral health consequences of NAS across the lifespan
• Review the growing prevalence rates of NAS in the United States and the broader world

Description:

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a clinically complex and multifaceted diagnosis that can occur in newborns who were exposed to opioids prenatally. These substances could be prescription (e.g., methadone and oxycodone) or illegal (e.g., heroin) in nature. NAS has also been known to occur in instances of prenatal expose to alcohol, barbiturates, and sedatives. The consequences associated with NAS are many and varied and can result in a host of central nervous system issues, gastrointestinal problems, and autonomic dysfunction. This syndrome can also have both short- and long-term developmental consequences.

            Concerns of NAS have increased dramatically in recent years with the opioid addiction crisis in the United States. In fact, research suggests somewhere between 25% and 30% of American pregnant women are prescribed opioids like OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin. This does not even account for instances where illegal drugs are consumed by pregnant women. Fueled by the consumption of these drugs, NAS has become a significant public health problem in the United States. For example, cases of NAS skyrocketed by approximately 400% from 2000 to 2012 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This leaves 3.9 out of every 1000 delivery admissions in the United States with NAS.

            This basic training is designed to increase awareness of NAS and prepare attendees to address this public health crisis in the field. Specifically, the training will define NAS and explore the developmental and behavioral health consequences of NAS.

Presenter Biography:

Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor for Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota and has extensive experience teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Jerrod has also been employed with Pathways Counseling Center in St. Paul, Minnesota for the past seventeen years. Pathways provides programs and services benefiting individuals impacted by mental illness and addictions. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS) and the Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST). Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). Jerrod is also certified as a Youth Firesetting Prevention/Intervention Specialist, an Anger Resolution Therapist (CART), a Thinking for a Change (T4C) Facilitator, a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Trainer, an Autism Specialist, and a Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider (CMHIMP).

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