Specialized training and consultation for professionals working within systems other than mental health are also crucial. This includes consultation to schools, juvenile justice systems, social services, legal and judicial systems, and substance abuse treatment systems.
In FASD intervention, parent support and training have received considerable attention. Mental health treatments for FASD have also become a focus of research and training efforts. But consultation to professionals working within systems other than mental health must be explored and pushed forward. Individuals with FASD have many secondary disabilities beyond family stress and mental health problems. They commonly experience disrupted school experiences, trouble with the law, difficulties with substance abuse and more. Some cannot work or live independently and so need lifespan social service assistance. Clearly, it is crucial to have supportive teachers, juvenile justice workers, legal professionals, social service providers and others who know and understand FASD.
Over the years, centers of FASD expertise have developed and now provide increasing amounts of training and consultation. More recently, professional journals in a wide range of disciplines have published reviews about FASD—and experts on FASD within different disciplines have begun to emerge. In education fields, training materials and curricula have been produced for teachers and more are underway. Researchers are also beginning to systematically develop and test educational intervention techniques. There are now several field demonstration initiatives, funded by SAMHSA, that are working to consult with the juvenile justice system. These are described on the FASD Center for Excellence Web site. SAMHSA has also put together model curricula for training juvenile justice workers and chemical dependency providers. Efforts to advise the legal system have been initiated, such as the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Legal Resources Center at the University of Washington. (For more information, visit the Fetal Alcohol & Drug Unit (FADU) site of the University of Washington and search for “legal issues.”)
Growing a body of field-initiated research, accumulating descriptive research and smaller intervention studies, and carefully planning and executing controlled trials of promising intervention models are needed to advance FASD intervention research. In turn, as researchers learn more about the processes underlying effective treatment for FASD, training and consultation can be refined and become more evidence-based.