Presenter Biography:
Angela began her career as a Child and Youth Worker whose first clinical experience involved supporting a young person with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome ( a term that is no longer used) with considerable and notable physical and mental disabilities. She has been imprinted early on regarding the risks and consequence of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) but was misinformed regarding the more subtle presentations and the amount of alcohol required to do significant damage. This means that there were many people she supported over the years who did experience difficulties related to PAE, but nobody identified or supported them in the most helpful and relevant ways. Her main focus today is to change that, and work towards reducing both the impact and the incidents of alcohol exposed pregnancies.
Angela also has over 25 years of experience supporting individuals in a variety of settings and has continued her research which has been both formal and informal dedicated to understanding what FASD looks like across the lifespan and across sectors from the family and front-line perspective. She recently authored a book titled, A Complicated and Beautiful Brain, to help deepen understanding of the condition itself, the prevalence rates and how many ‘missed ones’ there are out there who are struggling to be better understood. She is currently in private practice providing education, advocacy and direct support for individuals and families experiencing complex mental health and developmental issues including the impact of PAE/FASD. Angela is also an active member of the FASD ONE Diagnostic Action Group, and works directly with FASD-Elgin, London, Middlesex and Oxford, as well as the Ontario FASD Action Network while involving herself in many different short and long-term projects aimed at reducing stigma, improving understanding and awareness while building a more inclusive service delivery system.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this webinar the learner will be able to:
- Understand the statistics of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
- Identify presentation and symptoms of FASD in children.
- Understand how alcohol consumption before recognizing a pregnancy can impact on development.
- Identify 7 strategies to support individuals with FASD.
Intended Audience: All pediatric healthcare professionals (SLPs/OTs/PTs/LSW), child and youth workers, educators, Mothers and individuals trying to conceive.
Presentation Length: 50 minutes
Certificate: Included.
