The FASD Success Show

If there is one thing I think we can agree on, people with FASD will never cease to amaze us with their resilience and strength in overcoming significant obstacles or barriers in their lives. Chris Fillion, my guest today, is no exception. I have no doubt you will find his story a little familiar and “a lot of” inspiring. It is a true testament to his strength and the people who believed in him. ...

Can you believe we are at Episode 55 of the FASD Success Show podcast?     Over the last year, we have interviewed caregivers, birth moms, advocates, individuals on the Spectrum, as well as professionals like my guest today: Dr. Valerie Temple. I reached out to her after seeing a recent research paper she shared on Twitter. I knew she would have some knowledge bombs – and having discovered she has...

We have had a variety of guests on the show who have been involved in the education system in one way or another, but today I have a guest who is not only the parent of a now adult with FASD but is a school principal AND an Assistant Superintendent. He shares his FASD journey and provides some great inside knowledge and specific tips in transitioning for adulthood and working within the education...

If you think not enough is happening in the FASD world, or wonder what exactly is happening, then you will want to tune into today’s podcast. The FASD Success Show is all about highlighting success stories and today we go to the top of the leading FASD organization in the world – NOFASD Australia. I think it is so important that we take time to see the bigger picture, because sometimes when we are...

One challenge many caregivers have is how to both respond to the struggles their kiddos with FASD have in the school system and how to appropriately work within that system to make change. If you don’t have access to an Education Advocate, then today’s episode is going to help arm you with specific research-backed information from a professional who works with educators to identify integrated supp...

Today’s episode comes with a trigger warning. Also, if you play our episodes while your children are in the room, I suggest you wear headphones or listen when alone because we talk openly about challenging behaviours, addictions, mental health, truancy, running away and suicide.  My conversation with Megan Tucker about Harm Reduction may also trigger reactions to long-held beliefs or value clashes...

It is so interesting how the FASD journey intersects. We all have mentors and people who have inspired us in our journeys. Linda Rosenbaum, author of Not Exactly as Planned, A Memoir of Adoption, Secrets and Abiding Love has been one of mine for a long time. I refer to her as one of the “OGs” – original (FASD) gangsters. Well, she was also the inspiration for another person I recently met on my jo...

If you are wondering what the future holds for your son or daughter, there is no better way to start 2021 than listening to this inspiring story of a young woman on the Spectrum.   Katie Adliff came into the child welfare system at six years old. My wife Tara and I met her when she arrived at a Group Home run by an Agency we worked for at the time. Despite a rough beginning and some challenging ye...

If you want compassion for your children, you must start with yourself. And that is exactly where we are starting in today’s podcast.   Patricia Morgan is a therapeutic counsellor, author, motivational speaker, coach and caregiver for her now 52-year-old daughter on the Spectrum. She is past president of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, Calgary and has won both the Spirit of CAPS...

Have you heard the reports of the increases in alcohol consumption during this pandemic, including a significant increase in women’s intake and frequency? A group of advocates in the United States had been talking about ways to raise FASD awareness, and these news stories nudged them to take immediate action. So much so that they undertook a cross-country journey in the mid-western United States i...

We know Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder isn’t in the spotlight very much as it remains one of the most misunderstood or misdiagnosed disorders yet is the most common developmental disability. It is so important for us to work together to get the messages out, that I knew I just had to reach out when I heard about a new FASD podcast.  Jessica Rutherford, a final-year Ph. D. student in the School of...

I am so pumped to present this episode of The FASD Success Show podcast because this guy has a ton of experience that I just know other Dads, Moms and caregivers will benefit from. Also, with 98 % of my audience female, I just thought it would be a great addition to have another dad/male caregiver speak.  Jay Derting has been teaching math for 34 years at a small farming school. He and his wife, a...

In today’s episode, you are going to learn what is possible in creating an agency to serve individuals with FASD and their families and caregivers. I’m talking to Lisa Murphy, the Executive Director of the Lakeland Centre for FASD. This Centre is one of the leaders in Canada for FASD programs and services.  Lisa started with the Centre as a practicum student while taking a social work program and...

I have the honor of speaking today with Dr. Susan Rich. This is a fascinating interview with some frank discussions about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and reasons why Dr. Rich believes we are still struggling with prevention, awareness, recognition, and support.    Susan D. Rich, MD, MPH, DFAPA, is a psychiatrist who holds a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from North Carolina State Universi...

One of the best parts of my job is talking to all the caregivers who have such a wide range of experience and offer so much practical information to help others on the journey. Natalie Vecchione is one of those.   She and her husband are parents to a 5-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son (with FASD). She has been a Board-Certified Music Therapist for 25 years and began homeschooling six years...

It’s great to be back to our Podcast! How important are stories in your life? Not only do stories help entertain us, but they also educate, and in some respect are medicine. To celebrate our return after a brief pause in our schedule, we have a double feature. First, we hear about a unique program that provides adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder an opportunity to share their stories or me...

You know when you meet someone, and you're like "Man, they're wicked smart," and then you realize they're on your team. Such is the case with Katharine Dunbar Winsor, the Executive Director of fasdNL (Newfoundland & Labrador). Katharine is also a caregiver to three children on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum and, if that's not enough, she is currently well on her way t...

Are you a single mom, or even feel like a single mom – alone, isolated, without close family or friends? Wondering if life as a caregiver with an individual with FASD is going to be a constant state of chaos and confusion? It doesn’t have to be that way. Take it from today’s guest, Claire Mafranc. She was where you might be right now, and you could be where she is right now.  Claire is a single mo...

What an episode we have for you today! If you are like my guests, Kristin and Mike Berry, from Honestly Adoption (formerly Confessions of an Adoptive Parent) and desire to do good and be good parents, and feel like no matter what, you are “doing it wrong” then you will want to tune in as we deep dive into their experience parenting eight adopted children. We also look at trauma and FASD.   Mike an...

Do you struggle to get medical professionals to listen to you?   Are you looking for ideas about what you could implement in your community to help caregivers?   Do you know why Scotland is leading the charge on FASD in the United Kingdom?   If you want to know the answers to these questions, you are going to want to tune into today’s podcast with Aliy Brown.  Aliy holds a BA (Hon) in Social Polic...

A couple of weeks ago FASD made the cover of PEOPLE magazine. And boy did that create some conversations in our private Facebook Group. There were two camps: those that thought it was amazing that FASD made it to the cover of an international magazine – and those that were disappointed in the “sunshine and rainbows” slant the article seemed to take.  So I went straight to the source. Well, thanks...

This is definitely a topic of great interest for caregivers. Lately, there have been requests for more information on how to help siblings navigate, respond, and manage their relationship with a brother or sister who has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. You asked … I delivered! But before we get going, maybe hit pause and gather your kids so they can listen and learn from someone who has been ther...

What picture comes to mind when you think of a birth mom of a child with prenatal alcohol exposure? The fact is whatever you thought, there is no one version. There are thousands of stories of birth moms. But the one thing I do know is any birth mom I have ever met has never wanted to intentionally hurt their child, and today’s guest is no exception.  Niki Marshall had a troubled youth. As a resul...

Sometimes I go on Twitter – not much – but what I do notice is there are a lot of people who talk about how the system needs to change but then they don’t do anything about it. My guest on today’s podcast – Sara Messelt, the Executive Director of PROOF Alliance - saw a need, gathered resources, and together they did something about it. I hope you will be as inspired as I am by the end of this epis...

I know I say every episode is my favourite and they are – but this one is another home run in terms of a professional that truly not only gets FASD but she hits it out of the ballpark.  Dr. Jacqueline Pei, R.Psych., Ph. D., is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta. Also a practicing Regi...