Smart Goal #1 - Reflections

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What was my goal?

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My goal is to better understand Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. This will happen by researching the subject myself, and talking to an Educational Assistant who went to a seminar. The reason for this goal is that there are a couple of students in my placement that either have it, or are suspected as having it. Also, I understand that it is a very prevalent disability. 

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How was the process (obstacles, timeline, changes)? 

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I created a KWL chart to organise what I already knew about FASD (which wasn't alot, and I didn't know if it was accurate). I listed in the chart what I wanted to know about FASD, and then finally all that I had learned through my research. Although time consuming, the process flowed very well. I gathered a lot of knowledge, and I am confident to say that I know so much more now, than I did before. 

 

How will accomplishing this goal help you as an EA?

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This will definitely help me as an EA. It is a challenging disorder, as it presents itself in so many ways. The biggest take-aways are that through no fault of their own, children with FASD will have some degree of impact throughout their lives. There are many resources to help with strategies to cope, but the reality is that it can be hard to diagnose. It certainly is clear that there is NO amount of alcohol that is safe at any time during a pregnancy. And yet, as an EA I know that at no time should any parent be shamed for the outcome. There can be a range of circumstances to why this occurred, so the only thing to focus on is assisting the child, and perhaps being a part of the social education - to spread the news about the impact of alcohol. Information is so important. 

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