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FREE WEBINAR

FASD: A Whole-Body Diagnosis

September 27, 2021
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Join us for a free webinar as we celebrate Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Month this September. We will dive into new health research on the importance of physical body health conditions that can impact the lives of individuals with FASD.  

This year’s webinar is led by world-renowned motivational speaker, trainer and peer mentor Myles Himmelreich. He will speak about his lived experience and research conducted by FASD peer mentors showing the correlation of physical health impacts due to prenatal alcohol exposure. Joining him are clinical FASD specialists and a parent advocate who will share their experience and practice. They will discuss probing health issues and the importance of early identification to improve one’s quality of life. 

WATCH NOW

Why Join?

Did you know that 4% of Canadians have FASD, though many are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed (CanFASD, 2019)? FASD is a lifelong disability, and individuals may experience some challenges in their physical, mental, learning, behavioural and/or social skills. We want to equip individuals, caregivers and the community with information to understand that FASD is a whole body-diagnosis and provide tools to improve health outcomes and life expectancy. 

Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions during a live Q&A and learn where to access resources on FASD. 

Watch last year’s FASD events, Moving Forward: Building Resilience in FASD. 

Our Presenters

Myles Himmelreich – Keynote Speaker

Myles Himmelreich is a well-known motivational speaker, sharing his experiences of living with a disability. He provides consultation and training for agencies to improve their capacity to understand and create inclusion for individuals with neurodiversity and facilitates mentoring groups for youth and adults with FASD. Myles has presented at many conferences, including the International FASD Conference and was invited to and spoke at the Legislative Assembly of BC. Myles was also a co-lead of a ground-breaking study on the health and physical issues of adults living with FASD. He is a local, national and international trainer on living with a disability, FASD in the legal system, as well as the school system. Myles is a system changer and advocate, with a passion for creating inclusion for community members, as seen by his body of work, including that with the Representative of Children and Youth in the province of BC. His goal is to inspire audiences to change the way they view disability and empower those with disabilities to know and find their purpose.

Dr. Alvin Loh – Panelist

Dr. Loh is a developmental pediatrician and the medical lead in the FASD Clinic and Co-Lead of Behaviour Medical Assessment Clinic at Surrey Place. He has research interests in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder and regression and was the leader of the Autism Speaks-Autism Treatment Network-Toronto site, from 2008-2017. Dr. Loh is a community leader who teaches and builds capacity in health professionals to care for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). He is the chair of the volunteer advocacy group of physicians and psychologists for children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders (PONDA) and was the medical director for Special Olympics MedFest.

Dr. Shirley McMillan – Panelist

Dr. Shirley McMillan is a clinical nurse specialist in the Adult Services at Surrey Place. She has held a position in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto and mentors nursing students during their community placement. Her nursing career has been spent in intellectual and developmental disabilities in various settings, including provincial and educational, family practice, special school, and day programs. Dr. McMillan was the first Canadian to be certified in Developmental Disability Nurse through DDNA. She received her Ph.D. in Learning Disability Nursing from the University of South Wales. Her thesis focused on nursing support and challenging behaviours.

Kate M. – Panelist

Kate M. is the adoptive parent of children impacted by FASD and has fostered many other impacted children as well. She is also active in supporting permanency planning for youth who have aged out of foster care. While FASD can affect how children and youth negotiate life, education, and relationships, Kate has seen firsthand that those impacted have many strengths. Most days, you can find Kate and her children dancing around the kitchen while simultaneously advocating for school support, teaching self-regulation and planning for the future.

Host Organization

Surrey Place provides specialized clinical services that are responsive to individual’s needs and promote health and well-being in the Toronto region. 

We help support children and adults living with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, FASD and visual impairments reach their full potential. We offer a variety of groups and workshops for clients, families, and caregivers and extensive education and consultation services to community agencies. 

Our FASD Services provide individuals, their families and caregivers a circle of care through the support help of healthcare professionals and service providers to achieve the best outcome possible. Learn more.

Contact Information

Questions: wellness.registration@surreyplace.ca

By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO