Rethinking Challenging Behavior: Improving Outcomes by Recognizing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

Challenging behaviors are most often viewed as willful and in need of consequences so that the person will choose to stop doing them. However, if we do not think about the cause of the behavior, we will not be effective in addressing it; nor will we help individuals and their families reach their optimal potential.

With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), many challenging behaviors that we view as willful, are, in fact, the result of how their brains processes information—resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure. These behaviors may get the individual into difficulty at home, in school, in treatment settings, and in the community.

Understanding the brain basis of these behaviors leads to the recognition that we must change our way of addressing them. Time outs; reward and consequences; and point, star, level, and privilege systems—as well as other typical approaches—will rarely be effective in helping individuals with an FASD.

This free workshop via Zoom examines why behaviors that are often seen as non-compliant, resistant, and uncooperative need to be thought of differently. The importance of reducing the stigma associated with FASD is discussed. Whether for classrooms or youth/ adult small groups, strategies to improve outcomes by modifying the environment are presented, as is the importance of implementing a positive focused system of care. Participants will be able to:

• Discuss how prenatal alcohol exposure impacts behavior
• Examine why it is important to modify an individual’s environment to improve outcomes
• Describe a positive-focused system of care

Presenter

Dan Dubovsky, MSW, has worked for over 50 years in the field of behavioral health as a direct care worker in residential treatment and a therapist in residential, hospital, and outpatient settings. He has been involved in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) for over 35 years. For 14 years he was the FASD Specialist for the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence. For the past several years, he has focused on the development and implementation of a screening, assessment and modification protocol for children, adolescents, and adults to help individuals and families reach their best potential.

For his work in FASD, his son, Bill, has been his mentor and best teacher.

Audience

Educators; Addiction Prevention, Treatment & Recovery; Criminal Justice Professionals; Social Workers; Mental Health Counselors; Parents & Caregivers. All are welcome.

Details

You will receive an automated confirmation email upon registration. Please check your spam folders and add the domain @compassmark.org to your inbox list of safe senders.

Certificates of attendance for 3 credit hours will be available, as will NASW-PA CEs. You will receive an event Zoom link the Monday before the training.

Questions

Questions to Christine Weidner, training coordinator, at cweidner@compassmark.org

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