Motherisk News: Motherisk establishes first class in Ontario for students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

June 2012, Toronto - The Motherisk FASD Clinic has established the Transitions Day School and Treatment Program, supervised by leaders from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. During the 2012/13 academic year, the Transitions full time school program will support students in grades 2, 3, and 4. Transitions will expand to support students in grades 1 through 6 in the 2013/14 academic year.

Transitions Day School and Treatment Program offers:

• Child and family-centered clinical support and instructional programming for children affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders;
• Customized and specialized blended academic-therapeutic programming to target student strengths and needs;
• Evidence-based primary care focused on educational remediation through clinical intervention and support;
• Opportunities to strengthen foundational developmental needs in order to prepare for life-long learning.

Registration or inquiries for the Day School and Treatment Program:
Telephone: 416-813-8130
Email: Gal.Koren@sickkids.ca or Petra.Breiner@sickkids.ca

Referrals:

Families may self refer, as may agencies that are charged with caring for a child with an FASD (e.g., group homes, Children's Aid Society).

• The child's legal guardian should contact Gal Koren, Motherisk Follow-up and Classroom Program Coordinator, or Petra Breiner, Motherisk Clinic Coordinator, for referrals or related information. The referral/review process will not be initiated without the authorization of the child's legal guardian.
• If you are not a child's legal guardian but are calling on behalf of a family (e.g., family friend, CAS case worker, school professional), please ensure you have consent from the family to share contact information and basic details about the child (basic eligibility criteria questions, see below) in order for us to get in touch with them. Please also provide Transitions' contact information to the child's legal guardian so that they may contact us directly.
• Once contact has been initiated, the child will be considered if that is the request of the legal guardian.
• Consideration for classroom intake will involve: Review of supporting documentation (see below); interview with parents and child; review of child's referral file by the Motherisk FASD Clinical team. Due to high interest, only referral sources with the ability to participate in this process fully will be considered. We will certainly work with all, upon request, to help locate and collect the required information if needed.

Criteria for referral and classroom intake:

• If your child already has a diagnosis of a FASD, is in the age group we are serving for that school year, and lives in Toronto, then he or she is eligible for consideration with the required supporting documentation.
• For the 2012/13 school year, referrals will be considered for Transitions for students entering grades 2, 3, or 4.
• Referrals for children in other primary grades (grades 1, 5 or 6) will be considered for the 2013/14 school year.
• Prospective students must have a formal diagnosis of an FASD (e.g. diagnosis that meets the threshold as set by the Canadian Guidelines for FASD Diagnosis), or be deemed 'high risk' for a future diagnosis.
• Child resides in Toronto.
• Supporting documentation and process required for consideration for classroom admission is: a completed diagnostic report (or in process at a clinic, or high-risk and ready for assessment referral), recent IEP and/or report card, and an interview with parent and child by our team.
• Those 'at-risk' that don't yet have a diagnosis, we will help facilitate a referral to our clinic for assessment. If appropriate, the child will still be considered for the classroom during and/or after the assessment has been completed, as determined by the family and the child's psychologist(s) at The Hospital for Sick Children. Children who are already in process of assessment at Motherisk or with another clinic may still be considered, however an offer to be placed in the Transitions school program cannot be made until a formal diagnosis has been finalized.