Education packages for Post-Secondary School Programs
The goal of this training is to augment current curriculum with alarming statistics, and up to date research which will leave students be better positioned to screen, identify and support some of our most vulnerable in more relevant ways. Students will see that in many cases, the symptoms they are supporting may be directly connected to prenatal exposures and trauma that can result in complex neurodevelopmental disorders including FASD.
There is a lot of research out there indicating that there is an urgent need for Social Workers, and other frontline providers, to be more competent and confident in working with people who have been developmentally impacted by prenatal exposures. The most recent research indicates that fewer than 1% of Ontarians who would qualify for an FASD diagnosis actually have been assessed. This means that when looking for support, they are often misunderstood and not getting what they need.
If you are considering this opportunity on behalf of your school, please see some of the compiled research, as well as a note with some direct feedback from a student who read my book, A Complicated & Beautiful Brain, and participated in the presentation. We strongly believe and research confirms that every new service provider or clinician in the helping professions needs to receive this training and having this training before careers begin is game-changing for both the providers and those they are supporting!
For more learning, please check out a sample of our materials and a little about from the contents of my book, A Complicated & Beautiful Brain. You can also learn about a more detailed and intense six module training program for social workers for people who want to build their skills and delve deeper into assessment, therapy, parent education and support, policy development and program planning for people with puzzling and complex mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.
There is so much research validating the need for system improvements and the urgent need to build a more inclusive service delivery system. I have also attached a few resources to make it easy for you to share.
Click below to download a copy of the Training Package for Post-Secondary Schools.
"Angela’s book, A Complicated & Beautiful Brain, is a gift to all readers. It is loaded with valuable material in language that is understandable for all. Angela has created just the right content, whether it's the reader's first look at FASD or someone looking for a one-stop guide about FASD. This book is a teaching tool for the Child and Youth Care program at Fanshawe College. Students soak up the content, knowing that children and youth in their field present with FASD at much higher rates than the general population. Students have shared that being equipped with an FASD lens of care is invaluable for employers, children, youth and their caregivers."
Kim Hall, CYW, CYC-P (Cert.), BAEd (Adult)
Professor, Child and Youth Care
School of Community Studies, Fanshawe College
"From Angela’s presentation I learned just how common FASD is…. This will help me consider the possibilities of having multiple youth with FASD throughout my career… and this will allow me to provide the best care possible to some of our more complicated children and youth. Knowing how common alcohol consumption is in western culture will help me to be able to educate caregivers and youth on the dangers of alcohol. Learning that only 10% of individuals with FASD have visible facial features will help me as a CYC because those without facial features are more likely to go undiagnosed.”
Sajo Drexler
Child and Youth Care Program – Fanshawe College
Sajo also shared with Angela and others that she has FASD in her close personal circle too, and this book has helped them both understand the condition and the unique and sometimes subtle symptoms more deeply. Much gratitude was expressed which means the world to Angela.