TRIBUTE TO GOLDEN MINDZ DEB EVENSEN
FOR EDUCATION OF PERSONS LIVING WITH FASD
Pioneer in discovering practical solutions that work for individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). She has spent thousands of hours helping to find solutions within schools and communities across North America facing FASD.
I met Deb Evensen, from Integrative Active Learning in Alaska in 1997. She was one of the early people I connected to in the online FASD community. She is a Golden Mindz in the grassroots, boots on the ground educational research to help children living with the challenges of brain and body diversity due to FASD navigate the educational system. Her work spans over forty years of teaching children with committed loving thought and research. Her methods work. Join us as we learn more of Deb’s hard earned wisdom.
Over the years our work has progressed often in parallel understanding and we have often discussed how easy with our neuro-typical vision we can misinterpret a behavior of a child with neuro-behavioral differences. Diane Malbin presents this material as “Is is my child can’t” or “Is it my child won’t”
Listen to Deb Evensen
Deb’s chart below gives us an accurate interpretation of what is going on inside the brain of a person prenatally exposed to alcohol. Her years of teaching and educational wisdom gives us what we can do to shape, support and guide people struggling with these life challenges.
A gift from Deb Evensen
Common Misinterpretations of Normal Responses In
Children/Adolescents/Adults exposed prenatally to neurotoxins
© 1994-2002 Deb Evensen
| Behavior | Misinterpretation | Accurate Interpretation |
Noncompliance |
Willful misconduct, attention seeking, stubborn | Difficulty translating verbal directions into action, doesn’t understand |
Repeatedly making the same mistakes |
Willful misconduct, manipulative | Can’t link cause to effect, can’t see similarities, difficulty generalizing |
Often
|
Lazy, slow, poor parenting, willful misconduct | Can’t understand the abstract concept of time, needs assistance organizing |
Not
|
Seeking attention, bothering others, willful misconduct |
Neurologically based need to move while learning, sensory overload |
Poor social
|
Poor parenting, willful misconduct, abused child | Not able to interpret social cues from peers, doesn’t know what to do |
Overly
|
Willful misconduct, deviancy |
Hyper or hypo-sensitive to touch, doesn’t understand social cues regarding boundaries |
Doesn’t work independently |
Willful misconduct, poor parenting |
Chronic memory problems, can’t translate verbal directions into action |
Need a consultation for your school district or great keynote
presenter for your organization contact:
Deb Evensen: debevensen@alaska.net
Visit her Website: http://www.fased.com/
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