SCREAMS:
Seven Secrets to Success with FAS
in the Criminal Justice System
ã2000 Teresa Kellerman
FAS
Community Resource Center
Structure: Daily routine; Unchanging schedule; Concrete rules; Simple
step directions. Kids and adults
with FAS often do well in prison, because of the structure and routine.
They can cope with this much better than the responsibility of probation
and idependence, which they can’t handle.
Cues: Memory deficits indicate a need for constant reminders, especially
for rules, appointments, and medications. Rules
need to be reviewed daily. Strategies
for problem may require repeated rehearsals.
Visual cues such as charts and picture signs are helpful.
Role models: 1) Parents and siblings; 2) “Peers”; 3) Media
personalities. What doesn’t work: Telling them what to do; Insight therapy once a week.
What works: Mentors; Coaches; One-on-one staff; Role playing healthy
situations; Re-programming through practice and repetition.
Environment: Arrest feels like physical assault; Push-shove = might
fight back; Shuffled off in crowded wagon; Handcuffs feel painful; No meds =
withdrawal; Lights and noises = overload
Attitude of others:
We need to think in terms of “brain
damage” - They are victims before they are perpetrators.
Adjust your expectations to developmental level of 6-year-old. Try to work differently rather than harder.
If they keep repeating the same crime, and you keep putting him back in
jail, it’s not working. Be sure everyone on the team receives training in FAS/ARND.
Medication: With “simple”
FAS/FAE, a combination of a stimulant plus an SSRI works best. Often there are other mental health issues that require
different meds. There are hundreds
of combinations that might work. It
takes time (2-3 months) and patience to find what works for each individual. The right meds can restore limited control over behavior.
Supervision: Goal for our children: Independence and Freedom to follow
their dreams. For people with FAS,
their freedom and independence leads to making decisions that place themselves
and others in danger. Freedom for
FAS can lead to Mental institution, Prison, Homeless on the streets, Hospital,
Morgue. Where is the freedom?
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The buzz word in the
disabilities community is “Self Determination.”
For people with FAS this
actually becomes “Self Termination.”
ARND is more serious than
FAS.
The adolescent who looks
normal and appears to be bright may be the child at highest risk.
90% of the time, the
disability goes unrecognized, undiagnosed, and untreated.
Don’t let our children
fall into the cracks.