Information and resources Please feel free to download our information flyer about our services and share with your local GP surgery, school, health visitor and social work team. Expand Here are some resources that we recommend: CanFASD Caregiver Resource Guide This resource gives insight and strategies into many areas of development and wellbeing, including sleep, friendships, routines, eating and much more. FASD: What Educators need to know Top tips for the classroom, but many are useful for the home too. Connective Parenting/NVRSarah Fisher is a trainer in Connective Parenting/NVR. This approach focuses on building the relationship between you and your child and learning how to de-escalate situations before they arise. Making sense of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, guide for parents and carers by NHS AYRSHIRE and Arran Fetal Alcohol Advisory & Support Team Making sense of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Summary Guide by NHS AYRSHIRE and Arran Fetal Alcohol Advisory & Support Team So you have been diagnosed with FASD, now what? Handbook of strategies for youth and young adults, FASD Network See also Scottish Diagnostic Resources
Talking to children about FASD Not sure where to begin in talking about FASD/PAE with your child? Here are our top tips and recommended resources. Expand Top Tips Start early It’s never too early to start talking to your child about FASD. Sometimes children and young people are aware that their brain works differently from those of others. Introducing the idea that we all think differently and we all have strengths and challenges will help your child understand that they are unique and can achieve amazing things! Be positive Children pick up on the attitudes and values of those who care for them. By being positive about your children’s FASD diagnosis or experience of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, children will mirror your positivity and recognise that FASD may make their brain work differently, and may lead to some challenges, but that they are unique, valuable and active participants in the world. Recognise strengths Everyone has strengths, and this is very much true for individuals with FASD/PAE. Help your child identify their strength and support them to develop it further. Maybe they are great at sports, or caring towards animals. Whatever their strength is, identify, support and encourage its growth. Avoid Stigma Whether you are an adoptive parent, biological parent, foster or kinship carer, it is important to avoid using language that may create stigma around the circumstances of the presence of FASD/PAE. Remember it is the alcohol that has caused the brain differences in individuals with FASD/PAE, not the actions of an individual. Join a community It’s important that children, young people and adults feel apart of a community and know that they are not alone – others think differently too. Look out for local support group, online communities and events where families can come together and meet others who have a shared experience. There are a number of online resources that may help you explain FASD to your child: Support for adults and young peopleThis section of our website includes resources especially for adults and young people with FASD. FASD Think Differently AnimationThis new resource from FASD Hub Scotland introduces us to Charlie, who takes us through some of the challenges they face and what helps them have a successful day. Ideal for children age 8-13, but great for all ages and to share with others to raise awareness of FASD. Young Person Conference Animation Me and My FASDThis website contains resources including comics, booklets and a selection of activities to help children understand how their brain works differently. There are also games and resources available for purchase, including the ‘Break it Down Board’ - a useful tool for having conversations with children about their responses to situations. This is Me This interactive animated website contains a selection of short animations featuring the character ‘Me’ discovering some of the strengths and challenges in having a brain that thinks differently. Book: Life in the FASD Lane by Rossi Griffin
Factsheets Expand New to FASD? This factsheet contains basic facts about FASD and how it affects individuals: What is FASD? New to Adoption or Fostering? Heard of FASD and want to know more? This is the factsheet for you: FASD Guide for Prospective Adopters and Foster Carers Kinship carer looking to know more about FASD? Co-written by FASD Hub and Kinship Care Advice Service Scotland (KCASS), this is the factsheet for you: FASD Guide for Kinship Carers Co-written with Visibility Scotland, this factsheet gives information about how Prenatal Alcohol Exposure can affect sight development. If you require an accessible version of this factsheet, please email [email protected] FASD & Sight This factsheet gives Criminal Justice professionals an insight into how FASD affects individuals and how they can be supported: FASD and Young People in Conflict with the Law Working in partnership with Sleep Scotland, we have written a factsheet with advice and information on sleep issues. FASD & Sleep We also have a range of education factsheets which you can download here: Education factsheets
FASD Diagnosis Expand FASD assessment and diagnosis Seeking an FASD assessment can feel daunting, partly because of the nature of the process and partly because of the implications a diagnosis may have for you, your family and your child. There can be significant wait times before and during an assessment, and it is not uncommon for parents and carers to feel frustrated by the process. FASD diagnosis and assessment factsheet Co-written with the FAAST Team and Scottish FASD Strategy Group, this factsheet has all you need to know about the first steps of seeking an FASD diagnosis. Brain domains pack The 10 Brain Domains are central to understanding FASD. This pack tells you all you need to know and help to you plan for assessment appointments. SIGN 156: website This website gives an introduction to the SIGN 156 (Children and young people exposed prenatally to alcohol) Guidelines and links to further resources SIGN 156 Full Guideline Clinical guidance for those involved in the FASD diagnostic pathway. SIGN FASD Parent and Carer Handbook A must-have resource for families seeking an FASD diagnosis, giving information on who and what the assessment involves. Children’s Neurodevelopmental Pathway – Practice Framework This document set out the measure used in FASD assessment, alongside a number of other neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and Autism.