FASD Parent consultations
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term that describes the range of effects that can occur in an individual who was prenatally exposed to alcohol.
FASDs last a lifetime. There is no cure for FASDs, but research shows that early intervention treatment services can improve a child’s development.
Parenting a child with an FASD can be very challenging. It is common for children to be misdiagnosed with a number of mental health conditions sucha as ADHD & ODD. Unfortunately those diagnoses never completely "fit" for children prenatally exposed to alcohol because they doesn't take into account the brain differences that these children live with. FASD is considered a "neuro-behavioral" condition, meaning the brain has an impact on behavior. Because of their brain differences, children with an FASD don't respond to typical behavior management strategies or parenting techniques. This often leaves parents and teachers confused, frustrated and tired.
I provide individualized, supportive behavioral consultation and intervention services to parents of children living with an FASD.
I understand how difficult parenting can be, so Consultation can be done face-to-face, or remotely (by phone or video conferencing)
I have been working with children and families struggling with FASDs for nearly 20 years. From 2006-2014, I coordinated the only interdisciplinary FASD diagnostic clinic (modeled after the University of Washington's diagnostic model) in North Carolina. I've been trained by some of the best in the field: Diane Malbin, Clare Coles, Ed Riley, Georgiana Wilton, Susan Astley, Sterling Clarren and Dan Dubovsky (to name a few!) Over the years, I have been able to support hundreds of families of children exposed to alcohol prenatally.