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.
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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.
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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.
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