You have to see it to believe it!

SD57's Inclusive Education team created a two-page document which includes:

• Tier 1:Universal Strategies (ALL)
• Tier 2: Targeted (SOME)
• Student Options
• Teacher/School Strategies
• Teach - recommended skills
• Skills - specific (breathing, etc.)
• Resources
• Teaching Process
• Dual Continuum Model
• Indigenous Wellness Framework

Until a child is regulated (i.e., feeling physically and emotionally settled), they are unlikely to be able to relate to you (i.e., feel connected and comfortable).

And until a child is related, they are unlikely to have the mental capacity to fully engage with you in the higher-level cognitive processes (executive functions).

These are critical for problem-solving, like perspective taking, predicting the future, and considering multiple solutions (reasoning). 

In this brief video (20 min), Dr. Bruce Perry describes the sequential processing of experience in the brain. The Regulate-Relate-Reason heuristic is explained. This simple but powerful concept can help minimize miscommunication and behavioral challenges (especially with dysregulated adults and children).

Although this is a valuable approach for educators and caregivers, it can also be adapted for student use. Peer relationships can often be an important support for students. This visual has been adapted from Dr. Bruce Perry's 3R model and used an FASD-informed checklist to make it more accessible for student use. 


 

Foundry BC shares "tips that can help you and your friends to better deal with challenging life events. Supporting your friend to try new strategies, can help them to figure out what works for them."

Many of these would also work great to strengthen mental wellness in our classrooms. Start off the day with one of these tips:

• Build confidence. Point out those things your friend is good at, build on them and encourage your friend to do their best. 
• Give compliments. They help us to remember the positives in our lives when times get tough.

This WONDERFUL short video by, clinical psychologist Jacob Ham, describes how the brain can struggle to be in "learning mode" due to trauma and other factors. From an FASD-informed lens, we know there are high rates of comorbidity in trauma and FASD, as well as, many other mental health issues that result in the brain often being in survival mode.

In addition to the wonderful breakdown of the two brains, Dr. Ham also shares the most important factor in accessing the learning brain. 

Spoiler alert - it is educators who provide a learning environment where students feel safe and supported. 

Asante Centre has created an important visual to support our understanding of the connections between FASD and Trauma. 

In this short video (3 mins), Dr. Dan Siegel presents a concrete way of explaining the parts of the brain using the hand as a model. As well, he describes how one can "flip their lid" and that we can support them in staying regulated.

Wonderful graphic created by the Asante Centre.

"While the brain is complex, it can be looked at it in 2 basic parts: "upstairs" responding and "downstairs" reacting. People who experience repeated trauma may get stuck downstairs and not have access to upstairs skills."

This one-page infographic provides resources and links on alcohol, pregnancy and mental health. It is available in English, French, Mandarin and Spanish.

In this video (5 mins), Dan Dubovsky speaks about how typical treatments for mental health disorders are not appropriate if FASD is a co-occurring diagnosis.

The Adult Leadership Committee (ALC) of FASD Change Makers wants to know about what life is like for teens and adults who are 16 years and older who have diagnosed FASD, or who think they have it but do not have an official diagnosis.

Please consider passing this along to those who might be able to support this incredibly valuable research. Thank you!

"Through clear and readable explanations of current research and enlightening vignettes, educators will understand how violence and other forms of trauma affect the key elements of a child's school and social success, including behavior, attention, memory, and language. Then they'll find dozens of simple, creative ideas—easy to use in any classroom, on any budget—that show them how to:

• adapt instruction to address the learning characteristics of children exposed to trauma
• help students develop the most important skills they need to succeed in school
• use positive behavior supports children can stay calm and focused on learning
• build meaningful, appropriate, and supportive teacher-student relationships
• encourage positive peer relationships through cooperative games, group projects, and buddy systems
• provide predictable routines that instill a sense of safety and control
• avoid burnout and reduce the effects of "compassion fatigue"
• integrate a trauma-sensitive perspective across an entire school

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