Welcome to the FASD Family Life Podcast. I am your host, Robbie Seale, FASD specialist, with more than 25 years experience raising kids with prenatal alcohol exposure and trauma . I hope that as we spend this time together, you will know you are not alone and that there is hope for you and your loved one with FASD.
Can I invite you to subscribe right now so you never miss an episode? Season 5 is going to be the best yet! You won't want to miss my conversations with REAL PEOPLE making REAL CHANGE!
Lauren Richardson, diagnosed with FASD at 27, is an unwaving advocate for FASD awareness. Lauren is a force to be reckoned with! Her passion for FASD awareness inspired her to reach out the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League in 2023. You will be astonished to hear what she accomplished!
Naill Schofield, diagnosed at 19 with FASD, is a former fashion model and professional BMX racer, turned entrepreneur. Inspired to elevate BMX in Canada, Naill built a world class outdoor BMX track in his hometown. Naill is a highly sought after public speaker, author of 2 books, and entrepreneur with a big heart and even bigger dreams.

If you are new to this podcast you may be asking yourself, "Why?" Why did you start this podcast? I am a person who needs to know why too.
Why is a question that can open doors to worlds that were previously unknown to us.
I asked "why?" in 1987 when I saw 9 and 10 year old children selling themselves in an ally on a freezing cold January night in my city. "Why is this happening?" tore at my soul.
It also revealed a world to me, that I didn't know existed. It changed the trajectory of my life in ways I could never have imagined. But God knew. He knew their suffering. He placed a passion in me to step in a world where children suffer trauma.
"Be the change you want to see in the world" are words that ignite passion in me to step into the gap to find a solution or at least a path forward to help another human being.
For me it started with changing my major in college to Child and Youth Care Work. As well as the decision to build my family through foster care and adoption after the birth of my first daughter.
As our family grew so did my questions. Why? Why is everything I learned about parenting and behaviour management not working? The harder I tried the top down approach of consequences, time outs, sticker charts, tough love, the more my kids struggled and the more frustrated I became.
I got my answer when my 7-year-old twins received a diagnosis of FASD. Later, my son would also receive a diagnosis of FASD.
Hearing those words from a panel of experts knocked me for a loop. I felt like my blood ran cold for a few seconds as a new reality took hold. FASD... a permanent, life altering disability with no cure. That was in 2011.
Since then I have made it my mission to learn everything I can about FASD. The more I learned the more I wanted to share with other parents and caregivers. There is hope! There are many things we can do! And there are countless examples of people with FASD doing amazing things!
Why did I start the FASD Family Life podcast? I wanted to share with you what I have learned. And I wanted to be the friend to you, that I wish I had all those years ago.
I hope I can shine a light on your dark path. And let you know the struggle is real, and so is success! If you haven't already subscribed, click that button right now. You don't have to walk this road alone.
You can reach out to me anytime at FASDfamilylife.ca to ask a question. Let me know your story about real people making real change it just might make it into a future episode.
Until next time remember...
The struggle is real, and so it success!

Welcome to Season 4, episode 23 of the FASD Family Life Podcast. This is the only show about FASD hosted by an FASD Specialist and parent with 30 years lived experience.  I am Robbie Seale, your host and mom to five incredible people; including three teens diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. As an FASD Specialist it is my passion to help families thrive.  To learn more about me and my work check out my website,  https://fasdfamilylife.ca/

I started this podcast to be the friend I wished I had when my kids were young and to bring hope to weary parents. I wanted to share what I have learned working in residential treatment and raising my own children impacted by trauma and prenatal alcohol exposure. I pour my heart and soul into the production of the FASD Family Life podcast. All that hard work is paying off! Since 2021 the podcast has grown to OVER 51,000 downloads worldwide.

The Intermission  an update from Robbie  

Consider becoming a monthly sponsor. Your gift of $20 per month would enable me to keep sharing HOPE and teach the SKILLS needed to reduce stress and improve lives for people with FASD and the families who love them.  Click here to Support the show

Until next time, remember 
The struggle is real and so is success!

Welcome to Season 4, episode 22 of the FASD Family Life Podcast. This is the only show about FASD hosted by an FASD Specialist and parent with 30 years lived experience.  I am Robbie Seale, your host and mom to five incredible people; including three teens diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.  It is my passion to help families thrive.  To learn more about me and my work check out my website,  https://fasdfamilylife.ca/

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) refers to a constellation of disorders resulting from prenatal exposure to alcohol; the manifestations include birth defects, developmental disabilities, and neurological and behavioral problems.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is a common disability impacting 1 in 20 people in the general population in the US, which is nearly 3 times more common than Autism.

This week I am in the Netherlands where it is estimated that 2000 babies annually are born with FASD.

I am speaking with Nienke Peters and Luke Schut to learn about an innovative photo book project that they have been involved in to raise awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Holland.

Luke Schut is the Project coordinator of the FAS-project. Her background is in pedagogics. She came in contact with the FAS-project through her Masters program.  Luke says "I am the most inspired by all these parents and caregivers, and the warm and caring FASD community. Let’s keep sharing stories with each other to make FASD more visible."

Nienke Peters is mother of 4 bio kids and grandmother of 4. Fostered 12 children with FASD and still fostering a boy with FASD and NAS. Met Allard de Witte in 2014 when he photographed one of our foster sons. Her family has been part of the Buddy Project of Witte Bos for over 4 years now.

‘Het Witte Bos’ is a non-profit organization, which initiates transmedia project on the cutting edge of journalism, art and society. The FAS-project started as a journalistic initiative, but eventually developed into a big multimedia awareness campaign, showing the potentially dangerous consequences of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. By storytelling, the project raises attention to a relatively unknown problem in a personal way. The FAS-project started in 2013 and launched with the book FAS-kinderen (Children with FAS).

After this the fas-project continued under the name FAS2025. In the past years the project developed and gained a wider reach & more impact. FAS2025 tells the story of Isiah, Lorenzo, Marcella, Mila and Jasmijn, following their journey towards adulthood for ten years. Their stories are told by a collection of stories, portraits and mini-documentaries. To give children with FAS(D) a face, make FAS(D) less abstract and to tell what FAS(D) means to them and how it impacts their lives. The project also consists of expositions, books, a podcast, a college tour to inform future professionals about FAS, readings at professional organizations who (may) come in contact with FAS(D), and a buddy project in which children/youngsters with FAS(D) are matched to a buddy to have a nice time together.

Link to purchase the book Children with FAS/Kinder mit FAS
https://fasproject.nl/en/product/children-with-fasd/
The English website: https://fasproject.nl/en

Have a comment or question about the show, email me at fasdfamilylife@gmail.com