Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: an Australian toolkit for parents, caregivers and families
This Toolkit provides information about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) that will enable you to better understand your child and advocate for them – to ensure their physical, emotional, and educational needs are met so they have the best life possible.
NOFASD Australia would like to acknowledge and thank Sue Miers, the Founder of NOFASD, who first dreamed of a FASD Toolkit for families. As a practical person she turned her dream into a reality and wrote the first version of this Toolkit. We have been revising, adapting and increasing this work, always with the aim of supporting Australian families living with possible, or diagnosed, FASD.
NOFASD is grateful to Healthy Child Manitoba for permission to include content from Every Day is an Adventure: What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know About Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) (March 2017.) https://www.gov.mb.ca/fs/fasd/pubs/fasd_caregivers.pdf
Special thanks to the parents and carers who shared their experiences to help others. Thanks to Jessica Birch for her comments and design.
I think my child may have FASD….
- Information for birth parents
- Information for carers and families
- A FASD checklist
- How to get a diagnosis
My child has been diagnosed with FASD, now what?
It’s common to feel overwhelmed, worried, anxious and sad after finding out your child has FASD, even if you were expecting it.
This guide will help you make sense of:
- What does the diagnosis of FASD mean for my child?
- What do I tell people?
- What does my child need to succeed, to fulfil their potential, and how can I support them?
- Where can I go now for help, funding and support?
I think I may have FASD…
You are not alone! Many young people and adults with FASD in Australia have never been diagnosed. You might feel overwhelmed reading about the types of problems and difficulties children and young people with FASD may experience. But NOFASD also focus on strengths and abilities – and learning more about your own brain may be the first step in understanding and accepting yourself, and working out what kind of supports you need for your future.
