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Training

October 2023

Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the Maine Association Of School Psychologists (MASP)

Present: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders with Christie Petrenko PhD (In-person or virtual option)

Monday October 30, 2023 8:30 AM - 4:00PM ET  Harraseeket Inn Freeport, Maine

Register here

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) represent one of the most common developmental disabilities worldwide. FASD are life-long conditions and affect 2-5% of the US population. Rates of FASD are even higher in special populations such as those served within child welfare, mental health, special education, and justice systems. Yet most professionals in these systems are not provided the necessary education and training to effectively serve people with FASD. Without access to knowledgeable providers, people with FASD experience considerable inequity and lower quality of life.

This accessible and interactive training offers attendees the essential knowledge and skills to begin to implement FASD-informed care with their clients. Attendees will learn the advantages of identifying FASD in their clients and implementing FASD-informed care principles and skills in their practice. Attendees will see how key skills such as “reframing” and “accommodations” can build on successful strategies they are already using with clients, and effectively tailor them to meet the strengths and needs of people with FASD. Given the high rates of FASD in special education and mental health settings, this will allow providers to promote healthcare equity and improve quality of life in their clients.

Christie Petrenko, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and researcher who has been working with people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) since 2003. She completed her graduate training with Edward Riley and Sarah Mattson in San Diego, CA and is currently a Research Associate Professor at Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester in NY. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating interventions for people with FASD, including the use of mobile health technology to increase access to care. She has experience training teams of providers both regionally and internationally in FASD diagnosis. Dr. Petrenko also runs a multidisciplinary FASD clinic providing diagnostic, intervention, and family support services in Rochester, NY.

 

2023 Maine NurtureME Summit (formerly the Maternal and Child Health SEI Conference)

October 31 - November 1, 2023  Augusta Civic Center

Registration details soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NurtureME Summit speakers on FASD: 

  • Maine pediatrician Deborah Hagler MD will speak about her experience as a participant in the SAFEST Choice Learning Collaborative, an FASD ECHO training for providers and clinicians who serve prenatal through adolescent patients. 

     See below to learn more about upcoming SAFEST Choice Collaborative training in Maine.

The Families Moving Forward (FMF) Program was developed by Dr. Heather Carmichael Olson in the early 2000s in response to a call from the CDC to develop, test, and implement interventions for children living with FASD. FMF is an evidence-based intervention to help families raising children who are affected by prenatal alcohol exposure, with or without a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) diagnosis. The FMF program combines a positive behavior support (PBS) approach with motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help parents change their own knowledge and attitudes about PAE and FASDs, leading to improvements in their child’s behavior. The FMF Program is listed as a promising practice by the California Evidence Based Clearinghouse, and it is one of four behavior and education therapy services recommended by the Center's for Disease Control (CDC) for FASD intervention.

 

FASD ECHO Training "Safest Choice Learning Collaborative"

Recruiting Now for  February 2024 Prenatal Cohort*

Alcohol use during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of birth defects and neurodevelopmental problems in the U.S.

The SAFEST Choice Learning Collaborative, a partnership between Boston Medical Center and Proof Alliance, aims to reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and improve outcomes in children with a suspected or diagnosed FASD. Since 2021, we have trained approximately 40 clinics from 9 states† using virtual education to engage healthcare teams in the Northeast and the Upper Midwest.

Costs of participation are covered through a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Clinics will participate in Prenatal and/or Pediatric trainings.

The Prenatal trainings cover screening and counseling about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy.

The Pediatric trainings cover identification and care of children and adolescents with a suspected or diagnosed FASD.

By becoming a SAFEST Choice Learning Collaborative participant, each health center will receive:

  •  Free continuing education credits (physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, certified counselors) and MOC Part 2 credits (some of the content can be used to fulfill the new DEA substance use  disorder training requirement)

  •  Access to a diverse, interprofessional team of national experts in the fields of FASDs, addiction, maternal medicine, developmental pediatrics, and more (https://safestchoice.org/about-us/)

  • A health center stipend

*The Pediatric trainings began September 2023 and will run through January 2024.

Prenatal trainings will take place from February 2024 through June 2024. Health centers may participate in one or both trainings.

  • After an introductory webinar there will be ten 75-minute virtual sessions held on two Monday mornings per month and delivered over 5 months. Each session will provide a brief lecture by experts, case-based learning and collaborative problem-solving.

  • No clinical data reporting is required by participating clinics.

  • Participating clinics are encouraged to invite all appropriate clinic staff who will be involved in implementation of FASD prevention and care including physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, other medical personnel, behavioral health staff, and paraprofessionals such as community health and outreach workers.

The first clinic participant in Maine was the St. Croix Regional Family Health Center, Janice Small NP, Princeton, ME.

The second cohort completed training April 2023, and included the Pediatric Rapid Evaluation Program (PREP) team, Andrea Tracy MD, at Edmund N. Ervin Pediatric Center, Augusta; the  Passamaquoddy Health Center, Sunee Lovely MD, Princeton; and Mid Coast Pediatrics, Deborah Hagler MD, Brunswick.

The third Pediatric Cohort started in September 2023 -  Dr. Alyssa Goodwin MD, Stellar Pediatrics, Topsham, ME.

Watch here: Previous Maine Provider Participants share their experience(at 34:45)

BMC team explains the SAFEST Choice training (at 16:45)

 

FAQ

Contact for more information

Why Maine needs SAFEST Choice trained providers

Ongoing Training

American Academy of Pediatrics   AAP FASD Toolkit

A child or adolescent with an FASD may have a combination of physical, neurodevelopmental, neurocognitive, and behavioral problems with each manifesting a range of severity. It is not known how many people in the United States have an FASD. Several initial studies, using active case findings of school-aged children, indicate that 1% to 5% of children in the United States may have an FASD. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/ MMWR 2022 indicates that 1 in 7 pregnant adults report alcohol use.

An FASD diagnosis provides families, pediatricians and nonphysician clinicians a framework for understanding an individual’s behavior. Science indicates that therapeutic interventions, special education and support services improve outcomes for patients and families. The protective effect of early diagnosis can reduce the risk of additional disabilities and mitigate lifelong consequences. Ongoing care in a supportive pediatric home is an important component to achieving health and wellbeing for any child with an FASD and their family. 

AAP FASD Case Study  11 yo child with sleep disorder, hyperactivity, and attention deficit

AAP FASD Live Webinar Training for AAP Members and Staff
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) established the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Regional Education and Awareness Liaisons (REAL) Champions Network in 2016. The goals of the FASD champions network are to meet the identified needs to improve pediatricians' capacity for early identification of at risk children and to address the role of stigma and bias in addressing prenatal alcohol exposure with families and caregivers.

The FASD REAL Champions are available to provide training to pediatricians within their AAP district. Champions are prepared to lead trainings and facilitate webinars and Grand Rounds presentations using the training modules developed under the auspices of the "Improving FASDs Prevention and Practice through National Partnerships Collaborative."

For more information on the FASD champions network or to schedule a training session at your site, contact Josh Benke, FASD Program Manager at jbenke@aap.org or 630-626-6081.

Assessment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders  A Training Workbook

Pan American Health Association    World Health Organization (WHO)

Target audiences include physicians, psychologists, allied health professionals, social workers, and other providers that may encounter individuals affected by FASD. It is ideally used as a supplement for in-person training by experts in the fields of dysmorphology, epidemiology, and neuropsychology.

CDC - Collaborative for An Alcohol-Free Pregnancy

FASD Training and Resources for Physicians, Nurses, Social Workers, Staff

Free online trainings are available for healthcare providers who care for women at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy, and for those who work with individuals living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These online trainings provide strategies to improve the delivery of care related to FASDs and their prevention.

Guest Speaker on FASD Tracy Jirikowic, Ph.D., OTR/L

Seattle Pacific University       Video 2014

The Initiative for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

"Sensory Processing Perspectives to Promote Home, School, and Community Participation for Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities."

Families Moving Forward

The Families Moving Forward Program (FMF)  was developed by Dr. Heather Carmicheal Olson in the early 2000s in response to a call from the CDC to develop, test, and implement interventions for children living with FASD. FMF is a behavioral consultation intervention delivered by trained providers. The treatment can be customized to match the needs of many different families. FMF was tailored for families raising children 3-12 years with prenatal exposure (PAE) or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), who have clinically concerning behavior problems. This group of families often feels caregiving stress, and seeks mental health care or aftercare following an FASD diagnosis. Yet providers are often uncertain how to best serve them.

The FMF Program offers a specialized intervention approach which providers can learn through telehealth or in-person training. There is a carefully laid out program manual and accessible after-training on a password-protected website. Clinically, the FMF Program combines positive behavior support techniques with motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT). The FMF Program is scientifically validated through research.

Resource Page

The National FASD Collaborative Project

For professionals, caregivers, individuals with FASD -  anyone who wants to learn more about FASD.

The National FASD Collaborative Project will be hosting 39 free webinars for the 2021-2022 academic year, from September 2021 through August 2022.

​Below you will find links to the schedule of webinars for each season of the year, as well as our on-demand webinars. Nearly all webinars this year will be recorded and added to the 2021-2022 Recorded Webinars page for on-demand viewing as the year progresses.

​Registration for webinars are at the links below.

​Information about continuing education graduate credit and certificates of completion can be found here.

Want a printable handout of our entire 2021-2022 webinar series to share with others or review yourself? You can find an 8-page .pdf copy to print or share here.

DHHS  SAMHSA TIP 58:Addressing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders FASD

"This guide reviews screening tools for alcohol use and interventions for pregnant women and women of childbearing age to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). It also outlines methods for identifying people living with FASD and modifying treatment accordingly."

FAFASD   Families Affected by FASD    

10" Video Understanding FASD

FAFASD presents trainings about caring for, living with, working with, and supporting people with FASDs using the neurobehavioral (brain-based) model.

PROOF Alliance/Foster Parent Training Statute

NOFAS FASD:What the Foster Care System Should Know

Eight Magic Keys to Success to Support Students  with FASD

(See full description below, "Educators")

 

Educators

Deb Evenson Educational Consultant NOFAS Alaska

Brief video on importance of FASD awareness in our school systems. Feasible and inspiring approach.

Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Symposium for Educators  2017 Duke University (Video available online)

In March 2017, the Duke Center for Science Education, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, and Duke Program for Education presented a symposium for K-8 educators, school psychologists, and nurses on understanding and educating children affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).

For more information on FASD and the Duke Symposium 

https://sites.duke.edu/fasd/symposium-for-educators/

PROOF Alliance

For Educators - What is FASD?

Supporting the Student with FASD

Eight Magic Keys to Success to Support Students with FASD

Developed by Deb Evensen and Jan Lutke

This workshop video, introduced by Deb Evensen, teaches simple practical strategies for working with all children – but especially designed for children with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure (FASD), trauma, and other brain-based differences. While the video shows a school setting, the techniques were developed for children in community settings like after school programs and at home, as well as schools. These techniques are fun, easy to use – and make a positive difference for children and the professionals working with them.

Alaska Children's Trust

Eight Magic Keys Piktochart

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