Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Parenting a child with an invisible disability

by Mary Mather, Julia Brown

This unique book has been written for those parenting children / young people with FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) by Dr Mary Mather, widely regarded as one of the UK's foremost medical experts on FASD and Julia Brown, CEO of The FASD Trust, the UK's leading charity in this field. Julia and her husband are parents of two children with FASD and she brings her practical, real life knowledge of strategies that are helpful on a daily basis, alongside Dr Mather's medical expertise explaining the reasons behind the child's behaviour and responses. Whilst this book is a must for any parent or carer with a child affected by FASD, it will also be of value to professionals particularly in social work, mental health and counselling / therapy who are supporting families affected by FASD.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adoption

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2014

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a therapist and this book was perfect to learn how to navigate treatment and care for a child with FASD. Great for parents, teachers and clinicians! It has helped so much!

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will give parents, professionals and carers a good insight into this disorder. I read this book as part of my lifelong interest in psychology and children and it's a syndrome not often talked about very much.

Essentially- if the pregnant mother drinks and drinks excessively during pregnancy then damage is done to the developing baby within the womb. Alcohol is one of those legal substances that has so many sad and painful outcomes from being a drinker, even socially but especially when it's an addiction.

For this trying to understand a child with this very sad condition and the challenges ahead and possible solutions on offer this book offers a good starting point. 3 stars from me.

[Sarah Letts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I learned so much and felt like so much of this was relevant. Parts are frustrating because of the spelling and language since it was made for the UK, but it had so many concepts that I knew but freshened up on, introduced new ideas/information, and allowed me to reflect where my daughter is and what areas we might need to focus on as she gets older. I will be buying a copy for the school, social worker, and OT providers. It was also such an easy read- under 3 hours for reading and annotating the whole thing.

[Karen J · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Eye Opener. A Must Read.

I found this book highly informative, with practical examples and scenarios I related to. I would strongly recommend that teachers, especially early childhood teachers, be flexible in our expectations. I will be reading this book again, and sharing the insights with my colleagues. I love that kindle allows me to highlight the text, and add notes.

[jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy to read book that is relevant for most children with LD not just foetal alcohol syndrome. It’s very easy to read, I read it in one day and there are some good tips and explanations about what strategies work and which don’t.

[Donna Souster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read if you're interested in it.

[Jose-Ignacio Palma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful

Very helpful! We are trying to figure out the diagnosis for our boy and this book has helped us tremendously.

[Stephany Wold · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a new special education teacher, this book was a great introduction to FAS. It was short and used simple terms.

[jeff olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So informative. A definite must have-cheat sheet guide, to helping families dealing with FASD

Definitely a "Boo Hoo/ Ahh Ha! Filled adventure. Just when you think you know so much about your child's condition and struggles... It is always changing. I really appreciate all the tips and advice for carers in this book. I believe all who read it will learn something. I think older children with FASD could read this with someone and also benefit from it. Thanks

[Wednesday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having two baby brothers that suffer from FASD, I found this book a fascinating read. Although, as you would expect from a Spectrum disorder, not all items discussed ring true to their cases, certain aspects shine a light on areas of one or both of their behaviours and give some understanding.

I would highly recommend this to Social Workers, Foster Careers, Doctors and parents of children.