The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) was established in 1990 in order to create a national network of activists, families, and nonprofits in the United States, in order to address the unmet needs of Americans who had been prenatally exposed to alcohol, which could result in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) a range of developmental conditions then known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Since then, the NOFAS affiliate network has grown to include over 30 state, tribal, and local organizations (including Orchids FASD Services), doing important work in their communities.
However, as of September 30, 2021, NOFAS has been rechristened as FASD United. In 1990, FAS was the only diagnosis available for those affected by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE), but we now know that FAS represents only a fraction of the total number of Americans with an FASD. As such, as NOFAS enters its fourth decade, it was decided that a new name, inclusive of all those with FASD, was needed. For more information about the name change, see this announcement from the FASD United board.
