FASD Elephant™ #015: #FASD and Suicide

This podcast episode is an excerpt of my part speaking on a panel titled “FASD and Suicide” at the 2011 IHS/BIA/BIE/SAMHSA Action Summit for Suicide Prevention held in Scottsdale, AZ. I was a panel member, along with my friend Morgan Fawcett, the musician and speaker. I was pleased to meet Kay Kelly, director of the … Read more

FASD Elephant™ #014: Interview with Morgan Fawcett – A Flute Like Medicine: Part 2

A Flute Like Medicine Welcome to the FASD Elephant™ Podcast. Today we’re going to continue with the last half of my interview with Morgan Fawcett on May 25th, 2011. More details are in the previous podcast, number 13. Morgan Fawcett is a 19-year-old Tlingit flute player with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, FASD; the flute is … Read more

FASD Elephant™ #013: Interview with Morgan Fawcett – A Flute Like Medicine: Part 1

Welcome to the FASD Elephant™ Podcast. After a hiatus for way too long, the podcast is back. I’ve had a very exciting year so far in the world of FASD. A major highlight in February 2011 was four days worth of workshops and talks I gave in Saskatchewan—for The Saskatoon Tribal Council in Saskatoon, for … Read more

FASD Elephant™ #012: FASD School Intervention: Getting Back to Ready

Plan FASD School Interventions Students with FASD sometimes have “meltdowns” in school. These melt-downs can baffle and anger teachers, staff, and parents, but they are simply the student’s way of communicating. Meltdowns show that a student can’t cope with what is being asked of her or with what is going on at the moment. Students … Read more

FASD Elephant™ Bonus Track 03: KTOO Interview with Morgan Fawcett, Flute Player

Today’s podcast is an interview conducted by KTOO of Juneau, Alaska (U.S.) with Morgan Fawcett. Morgan is a 15 year old Native flute player who also happens to have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. He describes it this way, “When I play the flute, it lowers my blood pressure and eases stress away. With fetal alcohol spectrum … Read more

FASD Elephant™ #010: The Primary Disabilities of FASD

People with FASD (including FAS) have both primary and secondary disabilities. Primary disabilities are those with which the person is born, such as seizures, sensory integration problems, etc. These are a direct result of the brain damage from prenatal alcohol exposure, and the topic of today’s podcast. Feedback or comments may be sent to: Michael__at__FASDElephant__dot__com.

FASD Elephant™ Special Article #002: FASD Evaluation Preparation Checklist

Sorry folks, but I have laryngitis this week. Tune in next Wednesday for the next installment of the FASD Elephant Podcast. In the meantime, I found an interesting website from Germany that has an animated FAS Facial Feature program, in which you can manipulate the various FAS Facial Features and visually compare them to an … Read more

FASD Elephant™ #009: Preparing for an FASD Evaluation

Thinking about obtaining an FASD Evaluation? Today’s podcast talks about how to prepare for one. These evaluations often have long waiting lists and take just as long to complete. Here is a guide on how you can prepare for an evaluation, make it as thorough as possible, and hopefully speed the process up a bit. … Read more

FASD Elephant™ #008: The FASD Wheel™ – The Ten Brain Domains of FAS and FASD

The Ten Brain Domains Today’s podcast reviews the Ten Brain Domains of FAS and FASD in a little more depth; it is still an overview but gives more flesh to the domains in the context of completing an FASD Wheel. This is the third of a multi-part series edited from a workshop on the FASD … Read more

FASD Elephant™ #007: The FASD Wheel™ – Brain Functioning

Today’s podcast reviews brain functioning and how it can be affected by FASD. This is the second of a multi-part series edited from a workshop on the FASD Wheel (TM) presented at the 2007 Brain Conference on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Mahnomen, MN… one of the largest annual conferences held in Minnesota. Feedback … Read more