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Children with FASD in Schools

The Center for Cognitive-Developmental Assessment and Remediation (BGCenter)
announces a project
"Children with FASD in Schools"

    Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) is a debilitating lifelong condition in a child, caused by the mother's consumption of alcohol
    during pregnancy. FASD results in
    wide-range damage to the central nervous system of the child. In the
    school environment, a FASD condition reveals itself in lower cognitive ability, emotional instability, poor
    self-regulation and immature social skills in afflicted children, negatively affecting their behavior, learning achievements and social
    life.

    There is no medical treatment
    for FASD: an early
    implementation and continuous monitoring of an appropriate system of support at school
    and at home that include
    special education services, counseling, and behavioral
    therapies is the only means
    of remediation.

    FASD is difficult to diagnose in
    some cases, especially in internationally adopted children,
    who often have a specific
    psychological profile that combines FASD with Developmental Trauma disorder and Cumulative Cognitive Deficit (read the article below).

    FASD is acknowledged in some
    states as an educationally
    handicapping condition and is
    not accepted as such in others,

    but these children need to have an established diagnosis and
    individualized educational services
    as early as possible to help them compensate for their disabilities.

A pediatrician will perform the medical evaluation needed to diagnose FASD and will identify medical problems that are frequently associated with FASD and can affect your child's educational performance. If needed, coordination of medical care and re-evaluations will be provided.

A child psychologist will do a
comprehensive assessment of your
child and will develop a remedial
program that can be implemented at
your school. At the BGCenter, we do
in-depth assessments and develop programs that are based on the
specific needs of internationally
adopted children with this condition.

A therapist and/or counselor will
work with the child on a regular
basis and maintain the integrity and
intensity of remedial efforts at
school and at home.

An educational advocate,
implementing the findings and recommendations from your child's psychological assessment report,
will help you navigate the special
education process in order to obtain appropriate support from the school district.

When and if litigation is necessary, an
educational attorney will prepare
and present your case at a due-process hearing.

Working on your case as a team,
these specialists give an added
benefit of consistent and shared
strategy
, providing high levels of professionalism in every area of this
work.

That's where the Children with FASD in Schools project hopes to make a difference for families.

    The project aims at the creation of
    support teams in New York, New
    Jersey, Connecticut, and other
    states. The teams will consist of a pediatrician, experienced with FASD condition, a child psychologist with solid experience of assessing internationally adopted children,
    an educational lawyer, a child advocate, a parent councilor, and speech/language and behavioral therapists.

    Parents who find themselves isolated
    and without support from their school districts, will be provided with
    combined expertise and effective
    strategies to intensify remediation
    of their children with FASD.


Articles on FASD in International Adoptees

B. Gindis Ph.D.
Children with FAS - A Psychological Profile

Psychological characteristics of internationally adopted post-institutionalized children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

 
 

 

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