Hi Phyllis. The information below can be used to e-mail out or put on your website. I’m really excited about doing this and hopefully it will be a big success for both the foster parents and the theater so that we can do this in the future. I didn’t put in there that it is on a first come first served basis. I don’t think we will run out of tickets but you never know. We probably have about 150 seats available for the weekend, so we should be okay for anyone that wants a ticket, but they may want to call soon if they are thinking about coming.

Bremerton Community Theater and the cast/crew of their current show would like to invite all foster parents in Kitsap and Mason County (and anywhere for that matter) to come down this weekend to see their production of Black Comedy at no cost (FREE). This is the Theater’s way of thanking foster parents for all the hard work that they do. Although the show is not geared for younger children, due to the adult humor, older children would be welcome (probably best suited for children who are over 13 years old).

The show is called “Black Comedy” and is a very funny play about a young Englishman in his apartment (“flat” as they like to call them), who is expecting his future father-in-law, and a rich millionaire to show up to see his art work. Unfortunately the power goes out (they had a bad “Fuse”) and then his worst nightmare, his ex-girlfriend shows up, as does his neighbor, whose furniture he has borrowed (stolen) without permission, and electrician, and well . . . it just gets worse from there. What else could go wrong for this young man – you will only know if you come and see the show.

The show starts at 8:00 on Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 on Sunday. It is not a long play (last about 1 hour and 20 minutes) and there is no intermission. If you are interested in coming to see the show, please contact the theater at their website http://www.bremertoncommunitytheatre.org/ or by phone at 360-373-5152. When you go in mention that you are looking for the special for Foster Parents. Also you can see the commercial we did for it on line at Bremerton Community Theater’s Webpage. The theater is located at 599 Lebo Boulevard, and there are directions on the website on how to get to the theater from all directions.

Daniel M. Estes,B.S., M.P.A.

Intake Social Worker Supervisor

253.983.6192

Region 3, North

Children’s Administration

Due to the icy roads and snowy conditions, we are cancelling the the January 18th general meeting. Please be safe, and go have fun in the snow 🙂

See you next month!

Please pass along this training opportunity for all foster parents, relative caregivers and adoptive parents concerning Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder on Thursday, February 9, 2012 from 9:00am-4:00pm in room 195 at the Tacoma DSHS office. Julie Gelo is a regional and national expert on this topic and is a wealth of information and supportive strategies for parenting children and adolescents with FASD. Please see the attached flyer for additional information. To register, please contact Linda Falcocchio at 360 475-3586 or Linda.Falcocchio. Thank you!

Lynne Welton, M.A., LMHC

Program Manager/Foster Parent Trainer

Resource Family Training Institute

(253) 983-6435

http://fosterparent.dshs.wa.gov

HERE IS THE FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE GREAT TRAINING COMING UP NEXT MONTH IN EVERETT. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SPEAKER IS AN EXPERT FROM SAMSA FEDERAL PROGRAM SO THERE SHOULD BE LOTS OF NEW INFORMATION ON ISSUES ALL OVER THE U.S. I WOULD HEARTILY ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO TRY TO GO TO THIS EVENT!!

Please find attached the new flyer for an absolutely amazing conference coming up Tuesday February 28 and 29, 2012 to be held at Everett PUD Auditorium. This is a collaborative effort with NOFAS Washington, SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence, and Washington State organizations and agencies. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear one of the nation’s experts on the topic of FASD-Dan Dubovsky, MSW who is the training and TA expert for SAMHSA’s FASD Center for Excellence. Please help me get the word to as many families, providers, agencies, and organizations as possible. We will be offering training hours and are working on securing CEUs as well. Forward this email and attachment or print out and distribute to everyone that you know.

Thank you Julie Gelo, Executive Director NOFAS Washington 206-940-2832

In Collaboration with SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence

FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER

TWO DAY CONFERENCE

SPONSORED BY NOFAS WASHINGTON STATE

Tuesday February 28 and Wednesday February 29, 2012

EVERETT PUD AUDITORIUM 2320 California Street Everett, WA 98201

COST $100.00 early bird registration

COST $125.00 if registering after February 10, 2012

8:30am Registration Tuesday and Wednesday

9:00am to 10:30am “Improving Outcomes for Individuals, Families, Agencies, and Systems of Care by Recognizing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Other Underlying Neurocognitive Disorders”

10:30am to 10:45am Break

10:45am to 12:15pm “Improving Outcomes for Individuals, Families, Agencies, and Systems of Care with FASD (continued)

12:15pm to 1:30pm Lunch on your own

1:30pm to 3:00pm“Improving Outcomes for Individuals, Families, Agencies, and Systems of Care with FASD (continued)

3:00pm to 3:15pm Break

3:15pm to 4:45pm “Improving Outcomes for Individuals, Families, Agencies, and Systems of Care with FASD (continued)

4:45pm to 5:00pm Closing, evaluations, certificates

See below for description/abstract, outline, objectives, and speaker bios

CEUs and training hours will be available.

Outline for NOFAS Washington February 28-29, 2012

Title: “Improving Outcomes for Individuals, Families, Agencies, and Systems of Care by Recognizing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Other Underlying Neurocognitive Disorders”

Abstract: In our current economic climate, improving outcomes for individuals and families has taken on an added importance. In addition to being a matter of improving the quality of people’s lives, it is incumbent on service providers to be able to demonstrate that their services result in reduced overall cost. A key component of being able to accomplish this is the accurate recognition of all issues with which a person is dealing and providing the most effective interventions for that individual and family. When individuals are not correctly diagnosed; or co-occurring issues or disorders are not recognized, interventions are often less than optimal.

One of the most frequently missed diagnoses has been fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Although research has identified the prevalence of FASD as being between 1 in 25 and 1 in 100 individuals in the overall population, making it more common than autism or many other diagnoses, FASD is often unrecognized and undiagnosed. When this occurs, people with an FASD frequently fail with typical approaches and are labeled as non-compliant, uncooperative, and unmotivated.

In the case of FASD, the behaviors that lead to this labeling may well be due to brain damage caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. This damage, that spans the intellectual spectrum, affects the way individuals process information and respond. Therefore, evidence based practices that rely on verbal interactions, cause and effect (e.g., reward and consequence systems), and individuals taking responsibility for their actions are most often not successful and set those with an FASD and their families up to fail. In order to provide optimal outcomes for these individuals and families, and those who treat them, it is essential to recognize the FASD and modify approaches, including the use of medication, to improve outcomes.

This presentation presents an overview of FASD and the importance of prevention of alcohol exposed pregnancies, and addresses the damage to the brain that often occurs with prenatal alcohol exposure, how individuals with an FASD manifest this damage through their behaviors. Strategies for modifying approaches to improve outcomes in various settings, including home, school, treatment, child welfare, and corrections, are highlighted, as well as hearing firsthand what it is like to live with an FASD and to raise an individual with an FASD.

Outline:

· Person First Language

· Overview of FASD

o Myths and facts

o True spectrum

o Terminology

o Prevalence

· Prevention of alcohol exposed pregnancies

o Importance of prevention

o Evidence based prevention approaches

· Issues in not diagnosing an FASD in an individual

· Issues in not diagnosing an FASD in caregivers

· Brain research and implications for working/living with individuals with an FASD

· Possible mitigating factors to the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure

· Co-occurring disorders and misdiagnosis

o Challenges for behavioral health practitioners

o Importance of accurately identifying why an individual is experiencing what he or she is experiencing

o How a co-occurring FASD is different than having other co-occurring disorders in terms of intervention

· Behaviors often seen in persons with an FASD

· Issues at home

· Issues in systems of care

o School

o Corrections

o Vocational services

o Treatment settings

· Issues regarding suicide and sexually transmitted infections

· A strengths based approach to improving outcomes

· Strategies for individuals with an FASD and their families

· Strategies in specific arenas: modification of approaches

o Home

o School

o Treatment settings

o Corrections

o Child welfare

o Vocational services

o Medical settings

· Working with family members of an individual with an FASD

· Working with family members who may have an FASD

· Recognizing an individual with a possible FASD

o Questions to ask

· Psychopharmacology: a brief overview for non-psychiatrists

o Groupings of medications used in psychiatry

o Issues in adherence to medication

o Questions to ask a prescriber of medication

· A panel of representatives of Washington systems to discuss and brainstorm the existing supports and the needs from our state perspective

· Where do we go from here

Objectives:

By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Use person first language in their everyday life;

2. List behaviors that are often seen in individuals with an FASD;

3. Explain the importance of recognizing an FASD as a co-occurring issue;

4. Describe modifications in behavioral health treatment that could improve outcomes for individuals with an FASD and their families;

5. Identify questions that can be asked to identify an individual with a possible FASD;

6. Examine strategies to improve outcomes in various settings.

Dan Dubovsky, M.S.W has worked for over 35 years in the field of mental health. He has worked as a therapist in residential treatment, inpatient psychiatric hospital, outpatient, and community settings and as an Instructor in Psychiatry for the Drexel University College of Medicine Division of Behavioral Healthcare Education. He has been involved in the field of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) for over 20 years. Mr. Dubovsky is a nationally recognized speaker on FASD who is routinely invited to make presentations in the United States and internationally. For the past 9 years, he has brought this expertise to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) FASD Center for Excellence as the FASD Specialist, providing content expertise to the Center and training and technical assistance to individuals, families, agencies, communities, States, and Provinces to address the prevention and treatment of FASD. He is the author of articles that have appeared in the Journal of FAS International (JFASInt. 2005; 3:e9-March 2005) and in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Resource Guide, published by Children Awaiting Parents. Mr. Dubovsky brings the unique perspective of a professional in the field of mental health and FASD and a family member who raised a son with mental illness and an FASD.

Julie Gelo, BSHS/M is the legal mother to 16 children ranging in age from 6 to 45. She and her husband, Lynn, live in Bothell, Washington with the youngest seven children and are licensed foster parents. Eleven of Julie’s children have been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Related conditions, including all seven who live at home. Julie has been the Family Advocate for the Washington State Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic and Prevention Network core team at the University of Washington for 16 years. She is also a foster parent co-trainer with the Resource Family Training Institute with the Department of Social and Health Services. She is the Executive Director for the Washington State affiliate to the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS Washington State) and the co-founder of the FASt Friends FASD Community Support Network. She presents workshops and trainings on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Effective Advocacy throughout the US, Canada, and Europe

Washington state organization representatives to be determined and finalized prior to conference.

For additional information/driving directions/parking instructions see web site

www.nofaswa.org or call Julie Gelo at 206-940-2832

PayPal/credit card payment is available on the home page of the website www.nofaswa.org

***********************************************************************************************************************Name:

I am hoping that you can help identify quality adults who might volunteer with the Naval Avenue Mentoring Program. Thanks!

Sincerely,
Dianne Heckman

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Make a Difference in the Life of a Child

I am the new interventionist at Naval Avenue. In the past, Naval has had a student mentoring program which paired adults with students (one-on-one) during lunch recess. I am hoping to reenergize the mentoring program by finding dynamic caring adults who could provide the much needed mentoring that our young students need. Mentoring can be a valuable and meaningful experience for students and the mentors alike. The mentoring program is targeted at enhancing self-esteem and reinforcing that the young boys and girls are worthy and capable of achieving goals in life through working hard and having a positive attitude.

We currently have 15 students who have been nominated by their teachers to participate in the program based on the student’s need for meaningful relationships, a positive role model and a stronger network of stability and support. The mentor and student will be able to choose to play games, do art projects or read books inside or play outside together on the playground. We are hoping that mentors will be able to be at the school from 11:00 to 12:00 on Wednesdays. The hour long time would enable each mentor to touch the lives of two children. One during the first lunch recess (11:05-11:25) and one during the second lunch recess (11:35-11:55).

I hope that you will consider participating in the Naval Avenue Mentoring Program. Please share information with other adults who you feel would be quality mentors for our young students. You are welcome to contact me if you have any questions or to provide my phone number and contact information to any potential mentors. Attached is a copy of the Volunteer Application. I look forward to building a mentoring program at Naval Avenue that will provide a meaningful volunteer experience and enhance the lives of each of the students and adults who participate.

Sincerely,

Dr. Dianne Heckman

Interventionist

Naval Avenue Early Learning Center

900 Olympic Avenue

Bremerton, WA 98312

Office: (360) 473-4400

Phone: (360) 473-4462

FAX: (360) 473-4420

dianne.heckman

Sara Hall from the Olympic Peninsula Autism Center announces the new parent support group and social skills groups forming!

PARENT SUPPORT GROUP:

WHEN: Monthly on the first Saturday of the month, 1-3pm

First session on Saturday, January 7

WHO: Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (need not be clients at OPAC)

Facilitators, Ann Abraham- Special Ed. Teacher and Lisa Poole, Parent of a child with ASD

WHERE: Olympic PeninsulaAutismCenter, 3500 Bucklin Hill Rd., Building A, Suite 101, Silverdale, 98383

QUESTIONS: Sara Hall, 360-337-2222, sara.hall

WEBSITE: www.kitsapautism.org

SOCIAL SKILLS GROUPS:

WHEN: beginning Saturday, February 4th, weekly for 6 week sessions, preregistration required, space limited!!

WHO: Children ages 6-9 and 10-13, (need not be clients at OPAC)

DETAILS: See website for children who best fit the admission criteria and costs, registration information

WHERE: Olympic PeninsulaAutismCenter, 3500 Bucklin Hill Rd., Building A, Suite 101, Silverdale, 98383

QUESTIONS: Sara Hall, 360-337-2222, sara.hall

WEBSITE: www.kitsapautismcenter.org

We all get busy and sometimes we forget deadlines! GOOD NEWS! The deadline for all caregivers to register at the special rate of $50.00 for the 3-day Pacific Northwest Caregiver’s Confernece at Great Wolf Lodge and Water Park on January 16-18th HAS BEEN EXTENDED to January 10, 2012! For more information, go to http://www.fpaws.org.

HB 1624 UPDATE

The 1624 Committee has been renamed the Children Administration Foster Parent Consultation
Team (CAFPT) with a new charter approved in July of 2011. The mission statement remains
the same. “Strive to improve the well being and protection of all children in foster and relative
care and to enhance and strengthen services for children and caregivers in the State of
Washington”. The purpose is:
• Work together to enhance and strengthen services for the protection of children, and
• Work together to improve recruitment and retention of foster parents and continue to
provide enhanced training that meets the needs of foster parents and relative caregivers.

Region 3 North (previously known as Region 5) has two foster parent representative positions
on this important committee. The positions are voluntary. There is no stipend or mileage. The
duties require about two days a month and include meetings, teleconferences, videoconferences
and communicating via email.

Elizabeth Griffin Hall, elizanngriffin @ aol.com, 253-473-9252 is in the second year of her two-
year term. You are invited to contact Elizabeth at any time to express your foster parent or
relative caregiver concerns or ask questions.

The other position is vacant. Nominations can be made to TOM STOKES at
tom.stokes @ dshs.wa.gov or by contacting Elizabeth who will forward the nomination to
Tom. Qualifications for the position include experience as a foster parent and current licensure.

This committee reviews and takes forward to the State a range of issues that impact foster and
relative care. All caregivers are cordially invited to submit issues directly to the representatives
or take them in person to the Regional Recruitment and Development Strategy (RDS) meetings.

The next RDS Meeting is in Tacoma, Room 348, 9 January 2011. The meeting begins at 10 a.m.
and foster parent input is first on the agenda. The RDS Meetings for the remainder of the will be
in the same location and at the same time. The scheduled dates are 2012:

12 March 2012
11 June 2012
09 Oct 2012
10 Dec 2012

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a condition that results from alcohol exposure during pregnancy. Problems that may be caused by fetal alcohol syndrome include physical deformities, intellectual disability, learning disorders, and behavioral problems. The problems caused by fetal alcohol syndrome vary from child to child, but defects caused by fetal alcohol syndrome are irreversible and are life-long – patients do not “outgrow” the manifestations of the disease by age 18.
When alcohol crosses the placenta into the baby’s blood there is no alteration in its concentration. The delicate developing embryo/fetus cannot readily eliminate the alcohol. The drug stays in the system of the embryo/fetus longer than in the mother’s. In this sce-nario alcohol is toxic or poisonous to the developing child, especially in the first trimester when essential organs are formed and crucial brain development occurs. Although there is no “safe” amount of alcohol during pregnancy, researchers show that “binge” consump-tion of alcohol is the most dangerous scenario. Alcohol has worse effects on the fetus/embryo than any “street” drug combo.
Fetal alcohol syndrome isn’t a single birth defect and cannot be diagnosed via a lab or genetic test. It’s a cluster of related problems and the most severe of a group of consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure. Collectively, the range of disorders is known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). FASD represents a state of mal-adaptation. For example, In normal adaptation, one has to have a relative stable temperament and mood, processes information from all senses, make sense of verbal and non verbal cues, be able to reason logically most of the time, and have a stable environment which includes good health, age appropriate educational experi-ences, safe housing, and a loving and supportive family. Alcohol is a neuro-toxin that literally changes the brain’s chemistry in a global way including – brainstem (regulation of automatic functions like breathing, vision and hearing), cerebellum (balance and coordina-tion), limbic system (attention), cerebrum (speech/language, cognition, and memory). Hence children with FASD are frequently diag-nosed with ADHD, ODD, Depression, Anxiety, Attachment Disorder, and PTSD in addition to having low IQ scores.
A child does not have to have specific physical characteristics to be diagnosed with FASD. Because there is no particular lab test or imaging test that makes the diagnosis – instead the diagnosis is made by having 1/ a positive history of any alcohol consumption dur-ing pregnancy and 2/ a cluster of maladaptive behaviors and/or developmental and intellectual disabilities. FASDs are the leading cause of preventable intellectual disability in the general population.
In the practice of Medicine, the thought is that if professionals treat the mental health diagnosis, (therapy, medications) the symptoms will improve, and in the practice of Social Work the thought is that if professionals offer services to treat the environment (parenting classes, stable housing, and drug and alcohol treatment) the symptoms will improve. Alas, that is not always the case for FASDs . Nev-ertheless protective services are always important:
Early intervention services
By helping children from birth to 3 years obtain speech, language and sensory processing therapy early on, children with FASD will be more likely to participate in a classroom environment successfully by the time they are in kindergarten.
Involvement in special education and social services Children who receive special education geared towards their specific needs and learning style when school aged are more likely to reach their full potential. In addition, families of children with FASDs who receive social services, such as counseling and respite care have more positive experiences than families who do not receive such services.
Provide a loving, nurturing, and stable home environment
These supports can help prevent secondary conditions, such as criminal behavior, unemployment, and incomplete education.
Absence of violence Children with FASDs like all children, need to be taught acceptable ways of showing their anger or frustration, and parents and caregiv-ers must be patient, because it will take a lot longer with children with FASDs compared to more typically developing children.

The deadline for the holiday party is approaching quickly! December 1st is just around the corner! The party is Dec 10th from 1pm -3 pm at the Lincoln Avenue Bible Church in Bremerton. Please contact Luanne to register your kids so that Santa will have a present for them!