FASD

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Comment by Michele Woltering on March 18, 2013 at 1:44pm

Hi everyone! My husband and I recently adopted a 6 year old girl with FAS. Looking forward to sharing stories and resources with you all! 

Comment by Kate Hogeland on March 14, 2012 at 8:35pm

Hi!  I don't know if this is active at all.  I just adopted a 6 year old girl with facial features of FAS.  She also seems to have some behavior issues, but is so newly home it might be transition or institutionalization.  Hope to connect with some other moms and dads with children with FASD.

Comment by Jeana Davis on December 23, 2011 at 11:03pm

Oh--one other thing--make your daughter's teachers, principal, and any other care givers read the book and watch the video! Demand it if you have to. You have got to get buy in from everyone involved in your daughter's life in order for her to be as successful as she can be. At the beginning of each school year I work with the school to coordinate an in-service training for the teachers, coaches, etc. so that they understand that Alivia's problems are organic, not personality-based and that conventional methods of dealing with students are not going to work with her. 

Comment by Jeana Davis on December 23, 2011 at 10:58pm

My first recommendation is to get a copy of the book Finding Perspective: Raising Successful Children with FASD by Liz Lawryk. It's a practical approach to both understanding and managing the behaviors of children with FASD. The least expensive place to order it is http://www.obdtriage.com/books.php. You'll find several other helpful books there, too, but this one is THE book in my opinion. The second, if your child is still in school, is a video called Students Like Me. You can purchase it for about $30 or watch it for $5 online at http://vodpod.com/watch/1711123-students-like-me-teaching-children-....

If you are in an area that offers it, I also highly recommend a training program called TRIUMPH Through the Challenges of FASD. It's am 8 week workshop that deals with issues ranging from behavior management to advocacy to planning for the future. I am planning to take the training to be certified to teach this in my area in February. I'm in NE Florida.

From a personal perspective, I find that the more physical activity I can incorporate into her day, the better our day goes. She also needs plenty of sleep and at age 6 still frequently takes a nap in the afternoon. What seems to work best for us in terms of a learning environment is an ABA setting (applied behavioral analysis) like you find in classes for autistic kids. While she is the exact opposite of autistic, her behaviors are managed in the same manner. It is highly unlikely that my daughter will be able to function well in a regular class setting because of the accommodations she needs, but the ABA environment and an understanding teacher who can tolerate the ADHD type behaviors and actually utilize them in lessons is making a world of difference.

Comment by Karla Fitch on December 23, 2011 at 7:40am

Hi all. I just learned that my daughter's early development was probably affected by alcohol use by her birth mother. She does not have any of the facial characteristics of FASD, but she certainly has many of the behavioral and learning issues. Do any of you know where I can can find more information on FASD? Any go-to resources that you are willing to share? Anything is appreciated at this point!