A Curriculum for Those Working with Young Children and Their Families in Home and Community Settings.

Partnerships in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is a 15 hour training course for ECD service providers including IDP, AIDP, SCD and ASCD staff, child care providers, staff in CAP-C programs, Success By Six Initiatives, parents, family resource programs, preschool and other community settings that provide services for children from birth to six. The Module is delivered in 5 blocks which each address many aspects of FASD. From the background and practice activities included in the training, participants will learn there is no “cookbook” approach or set of strategies that work for all children with FASD, but a framework from which to view FASD and support each child as a unique individual. The following is a brief description of each block.

Block 1: FASD Fundamentals. This block contains a general overview of definitions, the brain, the cause, diagnosis and implications of the disorder, and provides that foundation for learning about how to help young children with FASD and their families in the following blocks.

Block 2: Parents and Children with FASD. This block discusses the principles and benefits of family-centred practice and the importance of understanding the social context of FASD and the family particularly pertaining to women, alcohol and pregnancy, attitudes and values, and our need as a community to have respect and support for parents and others dealing with this condition. It discusses supporting families where both parent and child have FASD, and the unique challenges and strategies for families with this diagnosis.

Block 3: Ethical Practice. In this block participants explore ethical issues in their work, and describe the steps involved in making ethical decisions. Possible advantages of early diagnosis of FASD and identification of the services needed to achieve all of the possible benefits associated with early diagnosis are discussed.

Block 4: Supporting Individual Children. Participants will learn about primary and secondary characteristics, individual differences and strengths, and how to accommodate the different learning styles with strategies that fit for the child. The various learning domains affected by FASD and ways to support children to learn successfully will also be discussed.

Block 5: Supporting Good Outcomes. This final block examines the elements of the environment that contribute to a good fit, and how to modify the environment to make it appropriate for children with FASD to prevent challenging behavior. Participants will also apply the information from the lessons to a case study.