Acknowledgements
Mary Cunningham is a parent of a young adult with ARND. She has been learning about FASD from her daughter and her students since 1998. Diane Malbin, (Oregon) Donna Debolt (Lethbridge), Chris Margetson (Guelph), Bonnie Buxton (FASworld Toronto), Cheryl Duquette (Ottawa), Laura Spero(London) Alberta Government Education ministry
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Presenter Information
Parenting consultant and FASD advocate Retired from 30 years in education system as a teacher, department head and consultant Has two young adult children, one with ARND Is married to another retired educator Co-author of Parenting in Canada, 2003 Co-founder of ON Coalition for Parenting Ed. Lives in Kitchener, ON cunninghammary@rogers.com
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Drinking and drug use can damage sperm causing subtle neurological damage such as impulsivity,learning disabilities, attentional problems & (lower birth weight)
When a father drinks he influences the mothers drinking
ADD/ADHD is often diagnosed (Reactive) Attachment Disorder (R-AD) Bi-Polar Disorder/Depression Conduct Disorder (CD) Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
(Kathryn Page 2002- Ctr. For Families, Children & Courts)
Dysmaturity Concept Students with FASD Frequently Show Many Different Ages
SKILLS Expressiveness (Talking) Understanding Ideas Money & Time Concepts Emotional Maturity Physical Maturity Reading ability Social Skills Living (Life) Skills
How Old He/She MAY act in each skill area Cunningham www.faseout.ca of Streissguth, Clarren et al by D. Malbin 94 Adapted from research findings 2008
- Learning
- Remembering
Secondary Behaviours
An Educator Might See at School
Inappropriate humour Class clown Isolated, Few friends Pseudo-sophisticatedtrying to pass as OK Irritability,Resistance, Fatigue, Arguments Anxious,Fearful, Overwhelmed Poor Self Esteem Unrealistic Goals
Bullied, Teased Fighting, Outbursts Running away, Avoidance Sexually inappropriate to point of being dangerous Depressed, Suicidal Co-occurring Diagnoses School Failure, Expulsion grade 9/10
Percentage of Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder who have specific Secondary Disabilities
20
40
60
80
100
Review
Alcohol in utero can cause both physical and neurological damage to the fetus Neurological (brain) damage is the root of most FASD problems faced by schools
Brain damage causes very serious learning disabilities which lead to primary behaviours
If left untreated primary behaviours turn into serious secondary behaviours and a marginalized adulthood (see Streissguth, 1996)
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
MECHANICS
HANDS-ON SKILLS
WORKING WITH CHILDREN & ANIMALS COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY COMPETITIVE SPORTS
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner is the theorist behind MI, this is especially useful for students with FASD Everybody has some of each of the 9 intelligence groups. Find out what you are good at and work at getting better. Dont beat yourself up about your weaknesses. Multiple Intelligence development is especially important for students with FASD. Good for self esteem development too Google Howard Gardner + Multiple Intelligences
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Multiple Intelligences
Verbal Interpersonal Visual Kinesthetic - Musical Naturalistic Intrapersonal - Mathematical Existential Every student has some of each. Discover and develop your best ones!
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Kinesthetic, energetic
Learn by doing and repeatedly shown
Express themselves well verbally Good with animals, children, mechanics, computers, and the arts Friendly, affectionate, loving, loyal, gentle, determined, sensitive and compassionate
In General
Head off trouble, nip escalating stimulus overload before the child explodes Provide constant supervision, preventing a crisis is easier than cleaning it up
Teaching life skills that others learn by osmosis must be multimodal,repeated and compelling (ESSENTIAL)
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Remember that students with impairments teach life lessons to everybody else
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Western Canada is light years ahead of us in all aspects of FASD understanding, prevention and intervention (education) Do not try to re-invent the wheel, go to the above Alberta website for the newest and best resource on successful education for students with FASD You may print for free 165 pages in length
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Ideally..
We will substantially reduce the incidence
of FASD in the future. How? By spreading the Zero 4 Nine message
FASD and Education An Ontario Perspective Part II Advocating Successfully within the School System
FASD Advocacy?
Advocacy is active support; especially the act of pleading or arguing for something An advocate is a person who pleads for a cause or promotes ideas Students with FASD need advocacy and advocates to have any success in todays schools
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
5.
6. 7. 8. 9.
Most FASD experts such as Diane Malbin or Donna Debolt acknowledge that many parents of children with FASD give the impression of being crazy Most parents will obsess to get their children served
Parent/School Relationship
FASD parents are the ultimate, 24 hour
front-line workers and desperately need your support
These parents only appear to be crazy; they are almost overwhelmed and super stressed Professionals are often tempted to assume that (undiagnosed) FASD is the result of ineffective parenting and family dysfunction.
The family with FASD is often dysfunctional because of FASD not the other way around
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Duquette et al Research
School Experiences of Students with Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder Duquette, Cheryll and Emma J. Stodel (U of Ottawa) in Exceptionality Education Canada, vol 15, #2, 2005, pp.51-75 Examined factors leading to persistence in school among students with FASD from perspectives of the students & their parents Relatively small sample (24), all children adopted The high maintenance parent appeared to foster success; parental advocacy is strongly linked with persistence and graduation among students with FASD Parents studied FASD & then educated teachers
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Parent Advocates
Need to remember that teaching has been designated as just slightly less stressful than air traffic control the most stressful occupation in that study Teachers are responsible for all the students in their classes not just your child who may be taking a lot more energy than the others
Summer holidays DO NOT make up for 10 months of extremely stressful teaching. They merely allow most teachers to continue teaching the next September
Educators on the other hand will do well to remember that every student has parents and/or caregivers who understand their individual needs better than anyone else
An involved parent or caregiver for a child with FASD is generally going to know a lot about FASD and should be considered as an expert
Parents, schools fight $1.8 Billion special needs war Dec. 5/05 (Star)
HELEN HENDERSON LIFE COLUMNIST (THE STAR)
Gordon Martin is 9 years old. Over the past two years, he has arrived home from school on several occasions with feces in his lunch bag and disturbing marks on his skin. In October, he was expelled for disruptive behaviour.
His mother has been banned from all school board properties
and accused of uttering profanities and making false allegations against staff and students. The Martins moved to a smaller house, cashed in their retirement savings and got help from community garage sales to pay for a specially trained support therapist to help in class with their son, who is autistic. The school asked the therapist to stay out of the classroom.
Gordon's mother says his behaviour at school X School in X was a response to how he was treated there. The school calls her complaints "baseless."
Welcome to the war zone that is special education in Ontario As in many cases examined by the Star,
third party who knows how to get past the emotion, because common sense gets lost in emotion" parents whose children have gone through the system or retired teachers, for example.
All of the primary behaviours related to FASD can have other causes and every problem student does not have FASD - this is a critical concept
FASD can be picked up even in ECE settings If you see several or all behaviours request an immediate psycho-educational assessment While you are waiting use FASD strategies. They will help almost all learning disabled students
Skeletal (eg.clinodactyly)
Club foot
Cleft lip and palate Dental abnormalities Growth abnormalities
Getting A Diagnosis
Psycho-educational testing is the first step If psych testing suggests major learning disabilities the next step is medical testing
Demonstrates that the individual needs special treatment. Intervention MUST follow diagnosis
Increases social awareness of FASD which may eventually reduce the stigma associated with it Individuals diagnosed early get fewer secondary behaviours related to chronic frustration
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Psycho-educational Testing
Average IQ for full FAS is 74 IQ range for full FAS is 20-130 Average IQ score for FASD is 90 However, an IQ score in the normal range is misleading as many people with FASD are unable to perform at levels indicated by their IQ scores. (Streissguth, 1996) Educational success is more than just IQ
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Psycho-educational Testing
A full battery of psycho-educational tests is needed, Verbal and Peformance IQ testing will be part of this testing Full battery psycho-educational testing will reveal very obvious skewing if FASD exists If possible, testing which tests two functions at the same time will often reveal highly useful results Plan an IEP which maximizes strengths and minimizes weaknesses
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Your child or student needs help NOW not when the right thing finally happens.
You child cant wait while you lobby!
Learning Styles
Most students with FASD are first and foremost tactile or hands-on learners. This helps with their need to move. Learning in context is easiest and most efficient for most of them Visual learning is the next easiest style for most students with FASD. A picture is worth a 1000 words has a whole new meaning for FASD! Least of all, students with FASD are auditory learners. This does not work well for most of them (but teachers will still have to talk.)
Kinesthetic, energetic
Learn by doing and repeatedly shown
Express themselves well verbally Good with animals, children, mechanics, computers, and the arts Friendly, affectionate, loving, loyal, gentle, determined, sensitive and compassionate
Students with FASD have permanent brain damage and need you to respect them for what they are, they cant survive without this
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
S-C-O-R-E-S
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Scores
Supervision
Close supervision to keep students safe and out of trouble - 24/7 (Recess too!)
Structure
Teach students that every day has a consistent and routine structure to it
Simplicity
Keep rules, routines and directions simple Give directions orally and in visual form
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
SCores
Communication -Regular and frequent communication between home and school -Students are taught and reminded how to communicate feelings and needs to teacher, peers and others Consistency -Routines, rules and consequences are consistent -Steps to complete a task are given in the same way every time
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
ScOres
Organization The school helps students to become organized by teaching and reinforcing sequential organization strategies repeat, repeat, repeat
ScoRes
Rules
- Simple, concrete and easy to follow eg. Dont hit ; rather than abstract eg. Be kind or Stay safe - All staff use the same words for each rule and follow the same rules - Check to see whether students know and understand what the rules mean - Consequences are followed up - Consequences applied immediately and consistently taking into consideration students disabilities
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
ScorEs
Expectations -Focus on life skills/social skills vs academics -Realistic, attainable, and easily understood -Modified/take into consideration the special needs of students -Clearly specify what is to be expected and accomplished on any given assignment -Limit the amount of work, including homework
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
ScoreS
Self Esteem -Students feel accepted, valued and safe -Positive encouragement is given in a consistent way each day -Students strengths are explored to help them cope with the frustration of things they cannot do -Students are reassured that they are not bad even though their behaviour is unacceptable and needs improvement
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Attention Strategies
Use as few words as you can
Repeat/Reteach/Repeat
Reinforce, Recognize, Encourage and Support Vary background sounds and activities soft music or silent activity followed by physical activity
If you are aware of a change in routine, alert ahead of time and practice new steps
Practice Repeat Re-teach
Discipline Strategies
Focus on solutions not problems
Positive incentives
Reinforce the value of failure Recognize and celebrate little successes
Western Canada is light years ahead of us in all aspects of FASD understanding, prevention and intervention (education) Do not try to re-invent the wheel, go to the above Alberta website for the newest and best resource on successful education for students with FASD You may print for free 165 pages in length
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Prevention Messaging Zero 4 Nine, There is no safe level of alcohol in pregnancy, etc.
Research- FASD is quickly becoming a hot research topic early times as yet
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
The internet is a valuable source of information, search under fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/ specialneeds/fasd.asp (excellent resource)
Cunningham www.faseout.ca 2008
Thank you for your attention to and interest in helping to understand, prevent and intervene in the lives of those living with FASD
Mary K. Cunningham