FASD training

I did a training in June with about 15 Pediatricians at Children's Hospital on FASD, the training went really well. They had a lot of questions, and I received some great feedback after the training. The only negative thing they put down on the eval's was that it wasn't long enough, and that wasn't my fault (I was only given 50 minutes, it was during their monthly staff meeting before clinic in the morning).

I donated a copy of Damaged Angels by Bonnie Buxton and Ann Streissguth's Fetal Alcohol Syndrome book as well. I told them that I found Ann's book to be a boring read so they would probably all find it to be really interesting since Ann is a Dr. and they are also, but that Bonnie's book is really interesting and good since she is a mom. They all laughed. :) Anyway, my point, is that I was at a meeting this week and one of the Dr.'s walked into the room and told me he is mad at me (he and I have a fun joking around relationship). I asked what I did now. He said that he finished the Damaged Angels book and that it has ruined him.

I asked why. He said because he has figured out that his adopted daughter has FASD, and is more on the mild end of the spectrum, but his mind has been spinning. She is 23 or so. He said that he is struggling now with what to do now with the info, if they should seek a diagnosis, if he should tell her, etc. His wife just started to read the book this week, and put the book down it was so hard to read.

He thanked me. He said that he also had a patient that he is thinking is effected by alcohol and he is going to figure out how to help him. Before the meeting started, Akila's Pediatrician came in, asked how Akila is doing, I told her not well and shared how the raging and restraining is at a new level now and we are really struggling. We had a family meeting this week and have decided that we will be calling the crisis line. When I shared this, the Dr. with the new revelation shared that he remembers calling the crisis line and remembers family meetings. He said the memories were all flooding back.

What I am finding so interesting here, is that a Pediatrician, who is an excellent one, has lived through this, and did not even know it. He told me that his mind is just blown right now. He is going to read Ann Streissguth's book next, which I think is a good idea. I told him I have another book for him as well, I'm going to give him one written by an adult with FASD. Our medical schools are doing such a poor job of training docs about FASD. This doc is in his 50's, I'm guessing, so his training was awhile ago. When I was talking to him about doing a training with his staff 6 months ago he used the term FAE, which is no longer used. When I told him this, this was the signal to him that it was time for a refresher on FASD.

There was a Dr. who was at the training who is one of the higher ups at Children's and he sent an email after the training saying that he thought it was such good info, that he had scanned all of the materials and was putting it on their S drive (shared drive). Now, this is the premier Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. And this was just with the tiny general pediatric clinic within the large system, a small dent within a monster- a good starting point, but also a good sign that we need to be targeting Dr.'s for training.

One of the other doctors who was at the training and who I also see at a monthly committee that I am on, has referred two different parents to me for support who are struggling with FASD kiddos. I love this, I love talking with other parents. I have been emailing back and forth with a parent in Delaware (hi!) who is struggling and I want to fly out to Delaware on a jet plane today and give her a hug.

So, I am going to have to talk with this doc some more about how I can hit some more of the groups at Children's with the training I did for his group. I think the timing is probably perfect since it has had a great impact both personally and professionally on him. God is good in His timing and placement.