Training
Recruiting Now for September 2023 and February 2024*
FASD ECHO Training "Safest Choice Learning Collaborative"
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:
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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)
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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/)
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A health center stipend
*The Pediatric trainings will begin September 2023 and 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.
Watch here: BMC explains SAFEST Choice content(minute 17:20)
Previous Maine Provider Participants share their experience(minute 34:45)
Ongoing 2022-2023
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."
The Families Moving Forward (FMF) Program 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.
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
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")
"MILE" Training Emory University
Math Interactive Learning Experience is interactive online training for caregivers, teachers, psychologists in teaching Math/managing behavior in children 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
Supporting the Student with FASD
Emory University
MILE, Math Interactive Learning Experience is interactive online training for caregivers, teachers, psychologists in teaching Math/managing behavior in children with FASD. Claire Coles, a researcher at Emory University helped to develop this evidence-based approach.
"MILE includes teaching methods and manuals for caregivers, teachers, and tutors focusing on FASD facts, Caregiver Advocacy, Behavior Management and Mathematics. We found that children who received the 6-week intervention showed significant improvement in math skills and in Graphomotor (handwriting) skills in comparison to a randomly assigned group who did not. Parents who participated in the program were well satisfied with it and reported that their children’s behavior had improved significantly.(Coles, et al.,2009)."
Teaching Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder*
Dr. Sandra G. Bernstein Clarren has worked in the field of special education for over 30 years. Initially she worked as a special education resource teacher and diagnostician in the United States and England. After receiving her doctorate from the University of Washington, she worked as a school psychologist in hospital and school settings and at the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic and Prevention Network at the University of Washington.
*This reference was published in 2004 - please refer to "Research" for current statistics on FASD prevalence and diagnostic terms.
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