Strategies That Work Best at School
Children born with FASD often respond differently at school. Half the battle is just letting the teachers know what it is that they are dealing with and what to expect.
Hey Teacher!
I was born with FASD.
That stands for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
FASD means that my brain works differently than other peoples. It also means that there are some things that I am very good at doing and other things that are really hard for me Everyone born with FASD has things they need help with and things they can do really well but each person has different needs and strengths.
The best people to ask about me are me and my parents/caregivers.
I am pleased you have this information and I hope it helps us to work better together to find ways to help me learn .
Intro to Teachers
This ‘Intro to Teachers‘ is designed to help broadly explain FASD to school / teachers as well as provide space for you to personalise and add individual comments that might be useful in getting teachers to know you and your child.
What can Teachers Expect?
FASD is lifelong and often it is an invisible disability. An FASD brain is a damaged brain and it cannot be repaired.
- FASD individuals have trouble thinking of multiple things at the same time, meaning that decision making is difficult. Time taken to go over choices one at a time outline possible outcomes helps tremendously.
- FASD children also come across as inflexible. This is because they find it difficult to change their thinking quickly. Preparation for change is important as they often think in very “black & white” terms.
- Self-management is often difficult for FASD individuals. Timetables and visual clues with lots of repetition helps.
- Tapping into FASD individuals’ talents produces amazing results. It is often the case that people with FASD possess hidden talents or strengths which compensate for the difficulties they have in day-to-day living.
- A person with FASD will need support throughout each stage of their lives.
Ideas that will help me do my best at school.
If I don’t always do the right thing it may be because I can’t, rather than I won’t!
Helping me remember
- Signs with pictures that show me what to do
- Reminders written down on the board
- Written messages to take home rather than oral mesages I have to remember (or email direct to home)
- A Visual timetable
- A warning a few minutes before I have to change an activity
- Frequent checking with me to ensure I know what I am doing ( and checking I have the things I need for home).
- Giving me one instruction at a time
- Telling me when I do remember
Helping me learn
- Well explained oral and written instructions given step by step
- A model or visual example
- A quiet space where I can work by myself
- Lots of opportunities to practise new ideas
- Lots of repetition
- Clear boundaries and expectations
- Routines that are regular and easy to predict
- Giving me specific feedback
- More time to do things so I can think about things properly and not rush
- Checking with me regularly and helping me think a bit more rather than expecting me to ask questions
Helping me behave
- Explain to me what you expect and how you want me to act
- If I get angry, let me calm down before talking to me about it
- Have a safe place for me to go when I am getting angry
- Having a safe adult who will help me when I need help
- Visual prompts to show me what to do
- Tell me about changes to the routine as soon as you can
- Visual prompts to show me what to do
- Tell me about changes to the routine as soon as you can
- Tell my parent/caregiver before something happens so they can help me understand what is happening
- Time to relieve my stress regularly
- I do not do well when I am expected to manage my self, I do better when someone can support me
- Tell me when I am doing things the way I should be
- Sometimes I can be encouraged to do silly things by others. Please help me to know when others are not helpful to me
I cannot change the way I was born, but you can help make my environment be a place where I can achieve success.
If I am unhappy, unfriendly or difficult this will be because I am con- fused, frustrated , tired or angry.
Please take the time to understand me.
A couple of other things:
- HOMEWORK— when I am at school I use an enormous amount of my energy to keep myself safe and focused. At the end of school I am extremely tired and do not cope well with homework. Can you please think about ways to mini- mise homework for me and make it manageable?
- DECISION MAKING— FASD means that my brain has trouble thinking of lots of things at once. This makes it really hard for me to make choices and decisions. It is help- ful when I have someone else to help me understand what the choices are and how they might affect me.
- INFLEXIBILITY— My FASD brain also means that I cannot change my thinking quickly. I think in “black and white” and have trouble with thinking outside this. If you do have to change things, please help me by preparing me first.
- MY TALENTS— when I can work within my talents I can show you amazing things. Please let me have regular opportunities to work in these areas.