September is ‘International FASD Awareness Month’: resources, events and training
Article source: FASD Hub South West
September is International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Month.
The theme for the month, supported by UK FASD Alliance, and FASD Hub South West, is ‘Stronger Together’ – where we celebrate the strength of supporting each other, whether it’s parents supporting parents, encouraging professionals to become “FASD Informed” by tuning into strengths and challenges that many families face, or where children/young people and adults meet others to feel the strength of friendship.
Events
Ask the Expert: Dr Cassie Jackson
Book a place for our next ‘Ask the Expert’ with Dr Cassie Jackson, Clinical Psychologist FASD Lead and Director of FASD where we drill down into strategies that support our Neurodevelopmental Trauma Toolbelt. Monday 16 September at 8:15pm to 9:15pm. Find booking instructions and further details here.
Even if you don’t face the challenge yourself currently, having tools in your ‘FASD informed toolbelt’ will help you think through strategies and where you will be given direct examples to consider of …..’what to do if’.
Tickets are limited so please do book early to avoid disappointment.
‘FASD Informed’ awareness training
Please find links below for more information on ‘FASD Informed’ Awareness Training for:
- Carers and parents
- Family and friends
- Social Care
- Primary schools
- Secondary schools and colleges
- Alternative Provision
- Mentors and youth workers
- Professionals
Book and video recommendations from parents
A lovely video to support siblings and families who support FASD where an extended family describes how life is better for them with people who get them. This also includes how the children in the family describe their FASD, friendships, respite, challenges, feelings, schooling and homeschooling.
- Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Guide to FASD for Parents, Carers and Professionals
A great introduction to FASD, it describes how alcohol can harm the foetus and disrupt development, and explains how FASD affects individuals at different stages of their lives. With the aid of simple, illustrative diagrams, photographs and charts, it shows how you can identify FASD. It also provides advice for parents or carers on how children, young people and adults with FASD can be best supported.
‘Me and My FASD’ provides a really useful resource to support dripping information in about FASD. Remember that developmentally children with FASD are approximately half their chronological age so gradually introducing small amounts of information is better and making sure that whatever you give a child to watch is appropriate to their developmental age. For more information speak to an FASD Informed worker or the FASD HUB Support group.
People with FASD can struggle to keep still or concentrate, providing a fidget tool can really make a difference at home or in School. This very short bitesize clip offers resources, a downloadable postcard as way of a reminder and a link to other free FASD downloads.
This free resource is a powerful tool to have in your toolkit to support finding simple ways to tune into the complexity of needs…. out of the box thinking helps! This one comes recommended by lots of families, FASD Hub South West and Clinical Psychologist Dr Cassie Jackson
For more free resources please go to the FASD Hub’s Resource Page where there is a wealth of resources including copies of notes from all their recent Ask the Expert Events & new legal guidance for families with FASD from the FASD Network.
The resources pages are best viewed through a computer as often too heavy to load on a mobile phone.