Successfully Raising Resilient Foster Children Who Have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: What Works?

Link: 58.pdf (application/pdf Object).

Children born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)1 are among the
fastest growing group of children entering the child welfare system. A recent study in the
United States suggests that a rise in alcohol and drug use by women has resulted in 60%
more children coming into ‘state care’ since 1986 (Stratton, Howe, & Battaglia, 1996).
As a result, Barth (2001) estimates that up to 80% of children with FASD are raised ‘in
care’ in a combination of foster and institutional settings. Further, while family
reunification is often the goal for children brought into care, Besharow and Boehler
(1994) report that up to 80% of children with FASD do not return to their family home due
to the high needs of parents and child.