FASD, ADHD, learning disorder screenings come to Cleveland Youth Detention Centre

Youth criminals at a North Queensland correctional facility will be screened for serious disorders experts believe are contributing to offending.

Healthy Pregnancies and Bright Futures aims to raise community awareness about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and create supportive communities for pregnant women.

Townsville University Hospital has expanded its health screenings in Cleveland Youth Detention Centre to pick up key learning and behaviour disorders, including foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

With more than 15 per cent of children in youth custody suspected or diagnosed with FASD, the screening will assist key services in getting the young offenders the help they need.

More than 100 children at the detention centre have already received the new, expanded health screenings, and close to a third of them have been referred to the Child Development Service.

Clinical nurse consultant Jason Laverack said the assessments have helped identify underlying conditions that could be impacting the child’s behaviour, such as FASD.

“Through this initiative, we’ve made necessary referrals to areas like cardiology and ENT, while also referring them on for further assessment and diagnosis for neurodevelopmental conditions and intellectual disabilities,” Mr Laverack said.

“This means once out of care they will be able to access services like the NDIS to get the help and support they need.”

Clinical nurse Jason Laverack and Dr Jess

FASD is caused by a mother drinking alcohol while pregnant, resulting in a child developing mental disabilities.

In April, Newscorp ran a campaign focused on shining a light on FASD, which is critically undiagnosed.

The latest data from the 2023 Youth Justice Census showed that about one in six young people had or were suspected of having FASD while 29 per cent of young people in custody were diagnosed or suspected of having a cognitive or intellectual disability.

The detention centre screenings are part of a new two-year, $2m pilot program funded by the Queensland government.

In addition to FASD, clinicians are also hoping to detect issues like ear infections, scabies and substance misuse among a cohort of children who rarely ever see a GP.

Townsville University Hospital’s Dr Jess, who said the program had funded the hiring of nurses, a GP and also temporarily expanded the capacity of child development service to handle an influx of patients.

“Through the initiative, we’ve not only been able to help identify neurodevelopmental conditions but also detect and treat conditions like fungal infections, rheumatic heart disease and growth issues,” Dr Jess said.

“This has not only been about working with those young people but also their families as well to improve health literacy across the board.

“We are helping to create positive relationships between the healthcare system and these young people … making it much more likely that they will continue to engage with health moving forward.”

Similar beefed-up health screenings are being introduced at Brisbane Youth Detention Centre and West Moreton Youth Detention Centre.

The change comes after former youth workers and Indigenous leaders expressed concern at a youth crime forum in Townsville that FASD was widely undiagnosed among children held in detention.

In 2022, pediatrician Sithambarampillai Sivayoganathan told the Townsville Bulletin one in every 13 pregnancies exposed to alcohol will result in a child having FASD, and up to 90 per cent of those children are misdiagnosed.

Originally published as FASD, ADHD, learning disorder screenings come to Cleveland Youth Detention Centre