Welcome to the Education & Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Toolkit!

This toolkit is designed for educators and parents/caregivers to help them understand how FASD impacts students and identify appropriate interventions. It also contains a special section that addresses issues that are particularly relevant to Native Communities. Each section provides a general overview of issues and challenges, as well as concrete strategies for overcoming those challenges.

Websites

FASD United (formerly the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - NOFAS)
Nonprofit health organization that aims to educate the public, practitioners, and policymakers about the risk of prenatal exposure to alcohol, drugs, and other substances known to harm fetal development. (more )

NOFAS programs include an information clearinghouse of FASD facts and research, tools for parents and caregivers, resources for adults with FASD, a peer mentoring group for birth mothers to children with FASD (Circle of Hope Birth Mothers Network), medical school curriculum, trainings, and legislative/public policy advocacy and outreach. Find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit (FADU), University of Washington
FADU is a research unit dedicated since 1973 to the goals of studying fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) across the life span. (more )

FADU disseminates research information, provides consultation for individuals affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol, and intervenes with high-risk mothers to prevent future births of children with fetal alcohol and drug effects. Find them on Facebook

Written materials

Reach to Teach
Free resource (pdf, 60p.) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for parents and teachers of elementary and middle school children with FASD. (more )

Reach to Teach provides a basic introduction to FASD, which can cause physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities, and provides tools to help enhance communication between parents and teachers. Parents may find the booklet particularly useful for preparing for individual educational plan (IEP) meetings. Teachers can utilize and share with colleagues specific strategies outlined in the booklet.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Guidelines for Referral and Diagnosis from the CDC
Free guide (pdf, 62p.) that provides guidelines for diagnosis and referal, appropriate services, and how to identify risk for alcohol-exposed pregnancies. (more )

Published in July 2004, this booklet from the CDC includes sections on a diagnostic and referral framework, diagnostic criteria for FASD, considerations for referral for an FASD diagnostic evaluation, services appropriate for affected individuals and their families, and how to identify and intervene with women at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy.

Webinars

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) (~1 hour)
This video from SAMHSA provides stories from mothers who used alcohol during pregnancy and had children affected by FASD and information from researchers and clinicians about what FASD is and what kinds of challenges it can cause. (more )

Recovering Hope is an intimate and evocative video about the mothers and families of children who are affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The video, created for viewing by women in recovery and their counselors, is divided into to half-hour episodes to allow time for discussion within a treatment session.

Beyond the Diagnosis: Effective Interventions for Children and Adolescents with FASD (2013) (~1 hour, 30 min)
Presented by Julian Davies, MD, of the University of Washington, this webinar goes into detail about FASD diagnostic criteria and interventions to improve long-term outcomes. (more )

This presentation was sponsored by the Indian Health Service (IHS) Telebehavioral Health Center for Excellence and the IHS Division of Behavioral Health. Davies, a professor of pediatrics at the UW, provides an overview of FASD diagnostic criteria and explains how prenatal alcohol exposure impacts the child/adolescent brain. Interventions to improve long term outcomes and address challenging behaviors, parenting strategies, and additional resources are also provided.

Videos: In their own voices

Parents’ Perspective on Diagnosis (5 min.)
Mothers talk about their childs' diagnoses and what they wish professionals knew about FASD.

My Adult FASD Diagnosis: Clarity for a Man and his Mom (5.5 min.)

Living with FAS (2 min.)
A look into a young girl's life with fetal alcohol syndrome, from her mother's perspective.