Raising a Child with FASD to Thrive

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Are you raising a child with known prenatal exposure to alcohol? Does your child have a diagnosis for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder? Listen to this conversation with Barb Clark, Founder and CEO of FASD Mosaic. She offers coaching, training, and consulting on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), trauma, neurodivergence, and challenging behaviors, and is the author of Raising Kids and Teens with FASD: Advice and Strategies to Help Your Family to Thrive!

In this episode, we discuss:

• In your experience, what do caregivers most misunderstand about FASD at first?”
• How does prenatal alcohol exposure impact brain development?
• What is the difference between FAS and FASD?
• Do the timing, frequency, and amount of alcohol all matter in the outcomes experienced by the child? Are there other factors at play?
• Why is FASD still so often missed or misunderstood?
• Primary neurological impacts on a child who has FASD
• Secondary behaviors – which, when viewed through that brain-based lens, are adaptive responses that help them process and cope with their environment
• What are a few practical strategies parents and caregivers can implement to help them reframe how they support their child with FASD?
• Tantrums or raging as an example of challenging behaviors – how it may look differently across these ages and developmental levels
• What are a few of the typical strengths seen in individuals with FASD?
• Why do these strengths often emerge inconsistently?
• How our home environment and culture set a child with FASD up for success
• Can you offer practical suggestions for how parents or caregivers would implement a strengths-based approach to raising a child with FASD?
• Practical strategies that parents and caregivers can implement right away when raising their child with FASD
• How do you recommend a parent or caregiver handle the process of repair and reconnection with a child with FASD? 
• What should parents and caregivers consider in planning for the future?
• Prioritizing self-care and reframing it as interdependence and community care.

Resources:

• Prenatal Substance Exposure Workshops for Parents
• Prenatal Substance Exposure resource page
• FASD Mosaic

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