FASD Elephant™ Podcast & Blog

This is a beginner's bonus track - the second half of an interview conducted on-air by KDWA on December 5, 2007, with myself and Alice Garceau, an adoptive mother of an FASD child. It was a good interview, and we continued with many FASD topics. If you haven't heard part one, go ahead and download it first. Next week, we will cover an overview of FASD, definitions, and the basics of terminology.

Feedback or comments may be sent to: Michael__at__FASDElephant__dot__com.

This is a quick podcast announcement that the FASD ElephantTM is relaunching as a podcast AND blog. The podcasts will be more from my perspective as a psychologist, while the blogs will be a mix of psychology and also my experiences as a foster parent.

Try it out and let me know what you think at FASDElepahnt.com and visit me on Facebook at Facebook.com/FASDWheel

Michael

See www.FASDElephant.com for show notes.

Students with FASD sometimes have “melt-downs” in school. These melt-downs can baffle and anger teachers, staff, and parents, but they are simply the student’s way of showing that they cannot cope with what is being asked of them or with what is going on at the moment.

When a melt-down begins, all goals should change to “getting back to ready,” rather than trying to force compliance (which usually worsens the melt-down). Try the steps suggested in this podcast, and a free PDF hand-out comes with it in episode #012a.

Feedback or comments may be sent to: Michael__at__FASDElephant__dot__com.

People with FASD (including FAS) have both primary and secondary disabilities. Secondary disabilities are those disabilities that arise because of a mismatch between the brain damage and factors in the environment--they are not directly caused from the brain damage.

Streissguth, et al (1996) conducted a four year study on the secondary disabilities of 415 individuals with FASD and found six secondary disabilites:

1. Mental Health Problems - 90% of the 415 had mental health conditions of any type; 61% had ADHD and more than 50% had depression.
2. Disrupted School Experiences - Over 60% had disruptions in school... from suspensions to drop-out.
3. Trouble with the Law - 60% had trouble with the law, with shoplifting and theft the most common crime.
4. Confinement - 50% had been confined, either incarcerated, inpatient mental health hospitalization, or inpatient chemical dependency treatment.
5. Inappropriate Sexual Behavior - 49% had displayed inappropriate sexual behavior, most common was sexual advances, sexual touching, and promiscuity.
6. Alcohol and Drug Problems - 35% had chemical abuse problems.

Feedback or comments may be sent to: Michael__at__FASDElephant__dot__com.