On My Own: Journey to Independent Living
Free Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Group

On My Own: Journey to Independent Living is a group for young people that  have, or are suspected of having, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This free, grant-funded service will be offered at the Moorhead Village Family Service office to individuals 13 years and older who have not yet graduated from high school.

On My Own consists of two 8-week sessions:

• Independent Living Skills
• Developing Healthy Relationships

The Developing Healthy Relationships session will be held:
Thursdays, March 8 – April 26
1401 8th St. S.
Moorhead, MN
4:00PM – 5:30PM

For more information or to sign up, contact Jane at (701) 451-4811

We DO wake up thinking that children in early childhood programs that have “behavior problems” need to be screened for prenatal alcohol exposure. We constantly wonder why everyone isn’t asking about prenatal alcohol exposure during this explosion of diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Minnesota. It turns our stomach and makes us feel helpless when we see a pregnant woman drinking who may have been given misinformation by her doctor. We are worried about the lack of services and supportive living for young adults with FASD. The list goes on and on…

We have an opportunity on March 21, 2012 during the FASD Day on the Hill to tell legislators that, in fact, there are a lot of people in Minnesota who wake up thinking about this issue. We need to remind our legislators that if they wake up thinking about the state budget, they might as well wake up thinking about our “issue” because FASD costs Minnesota $131 million each year for costs related to special education, juvenile justice, medical and mental health costs (Source: L.Burd & R.Howard 2004).

Together, we can make a difference. Join us!

State Capitol Rotunda 
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
9:30AM

To sign up, CLICK HERE>>>

Marissa Lang
Public Policy Manager

• MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) – Olmsted County, MN
• Next Step Transition Program (North St. Paul School staff) – Dakota County, MN
• Mankato West High School (Students) – Blue Earth County, MN
• Hudson Schools (Educators) – St. Croix County, WI
• Division of Indian Work Health Services, Women of Traditional Birthing (Pregnant Women) – Hennepin County, MN
• Park Nicollet Clinic (Diagnostic Clinic Staff) – Hennepin County, MN

If you would like to schedule a MOFAS training or speaker, contact Angie Dyer, Training Coordinator at angie@mofas.org or 651-917-2370.

Tuesday, March 13
Golden Valley Library
830 Winnetka Ave N
Golden Valley, MN
5:30Pm – 8:00PM

MOFAS is providing all the food – you just have to bring yourselves! Come whether you are a couple or a single, but adults only please. The plan for the evening includes a time when you will break out into a men’s group and a women’s group to spend some time getting support for the unique roles you play as husbands, wives, fathers and mothers while parenting children affected by FASD. Assisting with this fun evening will be Neil Tift, Director of Operations for the Native American Fatherhood and Families Association in Mesa, Arizona.

To sign up, email Jeff Beyer at jeff@fasdfamilyresource.org, or call Nancy Beyer at 612-819-0650. Hope to see  you there!

Rhonda will work with the Training Department until June 30, 2012 and will visit 100 metro area agencies that are a part of the MOFAS Resource Directory. She will provide support about how to better collaborate and communicate with MOFAS around FASD diagnosis and interventions, continue to support each agency’s unique ability to self-manage and implement FASD programming and support within their practice parameters, and promote the various MOFAS family support options including the Family Resource Coordinators as other tools for the Resource Directory Agencies. Our plan is to start with 100 agencies in the Metro area and eventually connect with all of the approximately 350 agencies across Minnesota that are a part of the MOFAS Resource Directory.

We look forward to working with Rhonda and completing this large project. Welcome Rhonda!

MaryAnn Bernard
Professional Education Director

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis and Mental Health Implications presented by Elizabeth A. Reeve, MD
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Algorithm for Primary Care Screening and Multidisciplinary Assessment presented by Scott A. Palmer, PhD, LP.

Thursday, May 3 -  Sunday, May 6
Grand Superior Lodge
Two Harbors, MN

Wednesday, April 25^th
Mankato City Centre Hotel
Mankato, MN

Maybe you consider your self a “common” individual. Great! Join me! Together we are the “common individuals” sharing a common vision (quality of life for our kids) who will attain “uncommon results”.

Let’s fill the rotunda with our common voices, share our stories in our individual meetings with our representatives and achieve uncommon results of putting a face to the services we need. Meet you in the Rotunda on March 21!

http://www.mofas.org/2011/09/save-the-date-fasd-day-on-the-hill-2012/

Deadline to register is Wednesday, March 21!
To register or for more information, contact Arc Midstate at (320) 251-7272 or admin@arcmidstate.org

Family fun events are ongoing, quarterly activities presented by the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS) and Arc Midstate. Events are open to families of children and teens with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Families are encouraged to bring their PCAs if children require one-to-one care or extra supervision.

When you have a child that does not get the correlation between behaviors and consequences, the risk is always there that they will at some point in their lives run in to legal troubles. His presentation had me hooked right from the beginning when he commented that most individuals with FASD that are court ordered to go through a Rule 20 assessment (to determine competency to stand trial) come back with an assessment that states ” understands court proceedings but not able to aid in their defense due to significant memory issues. Court proceedings will require a 15 minute break after each 30 minutes of court session.”  It was like he had read our daughter’s Rule 20 assessment report word for word!

The judge then went on to explain that ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is also a requirement of the court. In other words, if our child can not sit outside a noisy courtroom waiting for their turn to go in, the courts need to make available to them a quiet waiting area. If our child needs a court setting with few distractions, extended time to meet with a public defender, they have to provide them. Probation requirements must include accommodations for the individual with a disability. Jail time must meet the needs of the individual with a disability for safety, etc.

Parents and guardians – ADA needs to become your new best friend!!

Judges, attorneys, probation officers, court administration generally lack information on FASD. It is the responsibility of the attorney to ask the questions and provide the educational information needed so that the judge is making an informed decision. Judges have difficulty releasing an individual that they know has a high likelihood of re-offending if no support services are in place. Getting a diagnose is imperative if the individual in question has characteristics of FASD but have never been evaluated. IQ testing is not enough. It does not reflect their ability to participate in the proceedings. When helping an individual charged with a crime, you need to connect the FASD with behavior that got them in to court. It’s as simply as asking the question, “Was there prenatal exposure to alcohol?” And yet, it’s not happening.

One of the parents in the group asked the question about guardianship. In his opinion, he felt it was best to extend guardianship so that we as parents have legal standing in the process. He bases that on his belief that the court needs to hear from someone who knows the child or adult, about the disorder and how it affects them. And who better to do that then parents?

Here are some of his suggestions for the probation issue: avoid lengthy incarceration; make probation fit the person needs; arrange for longer supervision of individual to ensure that supports are in place; get a sponsor, mentor or advocate to volunteer to be their partner throughout the probation period; make the requirements for the probation concrete – list of rules, write out information; make sure probation officer understands FASD; don’t overreact to probation violations; provide accommodations to those individuals that may not be able to follow a schedule, attend scheduled meetings without support, need supervision on community service hours to ensure completion.

If you’d like more information check out this website:   http://depts.washington.edu/fadu/legalissues