Learning Disabilities: What is FASD for Multi-Disciplinary Teams (stage 1)
Updated: Sep 3
For professionals assessing & supporting learning disabilities in children and adults with complex overlapping needs through the brain injury Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; we will examine dysexecutive functioning from the frontal lobe damage which specifically indicates the complexity of the disability.
Neuro-developmental Trauma Training: FASD Informed™ Professional Learning Disabilities Team
Who is the course for?
Learning Difficulties Assessment Team (LDAT), multidisciplinary teams of professionals who provide support and services to individuals with learning disabilities including typically:
Health Professionals: Doctors, nurses, psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists
Social Care Professionals: Social workers, support workers
Educational Professionals: Special education teachers, learning support assistants
Aim: To provide an overview of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder & its co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions to support NICE Quality Standards for FASD:
Identify how alcohol is Neuro-Developmental Trauma
The impact of alcohol on the brain and its vulnerabilities
Examine how the alcohol informs the spectrum of need and its co-occurring conditions including Autism, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Tourette’s etc
Review developmental milestones in the womb; compare the impact on the brain and explain the lifelong impact
Recognise the brain functions and how FASD impacts development
Illustrate the facial features of FASD and when these are formed
Examine the developmental divergence of peers
Discuss multi agency management plans & the NICE Quality Standards for FASD
To clarify how FASD functionally is similar to those with global intellectual disability (ID) in terms of executive and adaptive behaviour where the dysexecutive profile* in FASD is often more severe than in those with ID
Good practice in multi-disciplinary teams and signposting to services
Co-delivered delivered by our lead Director of FASD alongside Consultant Clinical Phycologist Dr Cassie Jackson; two FASD experienced & highly qualified specialists tailoring a bespoke offer to support your team in becoming FASD ResponsiveTM
Good practice in neurodevelopmental support informs us that working towards being ‘FASD Responsive’ includes empowering all members of the team who come into contact with child/ren with prenatal exposure to alcohol.
We consider how many families supporting FASD experience secondary trauma; a vicarious type of trauma that impacts the whole body, as well as considering the child/young person/adult with FASD we reflect on the whole family where we signpost you to ways to help support very challenging cases where needs change rapidly.
In practical terms, what would the indicators
when considering whether FASD is part of a young person’s life story?
Although individual indicators vary greatly, this is an illustrative example of what life might be like for someone with an FASD profile:
I might appear to be very articulate but have problems understanding what you had just told me, as well as keeping track of what I was asked to do to correct my behaviour.
I might be dreadful at keeping appointments and generally organising my life, including poor money concepts and an inability to either plan or follow through on other’s plans for me.
I might be very impulsive without thinking of the consequences; and, even if corrected, I may do it again because I have great difficulty learning from experience.
I might appear truculent and challenging and act inappropriately for my age.
I might be anxious and developing mental health issues because I am being bullied or misunderstood so often.
I might have real skills and talents I am unable to demonstrate consistently because my life is so disorganised and stressful.
I might drink alcohol, take drugs, and engage in other risky behaviours (including sexual ones) because I have a very hard time controlling my impulses.
My sleep pattern will have been poor from an early age.
(Hayes, Moritz and Reid, 2020)
*Dysexecutive functioning refers to higher-level cognitive processes, often stemming from frontal lobe damage. It encompasses a range of impairments in planning, organising, initiating, inhibiting, and flexibly adapting to new situations. This can manifest as challenges in various aspects of daily life, including emotional regulation, motivation, and behaviour.
Online live delivery, includes Certification & FASD Resources; with progression opportunities to a higher level learning
©FASD Informed UK
Image by kind permission of our FASD Friend @CharlieMackesy
