Each year, Ranch Ehrlo Society’s Clinical Assessment and Resource Services (CARS) team joins community partners, individuals, families, and advocates at the Regina FASD Awareness Walk. This year they raised awareness on their journey to the Saskatchewan Legislature, participating in the walk and listening to the stories and messages shared through the speeches.

This annual event provides an important opportunity to honour truth and reconciliation and to reflect on Calls to Action #33 and #34, which call for increased awareness, understanding, prevention, diagnosis, and supports related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Beyond participating in the annual walk, the CARS team works throughout the year to support individuals and families affected by FASD through comprehensive assessment and individualized clinical services.

The CARS team works with participants engaged in Ranch Ehrlo’s  Group Living Treatment Services, Treatment Foster Care, family programs, and their families to provide comprehensive FASD evaluations when appropriate. These evaluations are extensive and collaborative, bringing together multiple areas of expertise to develop a deeper understanding of an individual’s strengths, needs, and functioning. The process includes a comprehensive psychological assessment, speech-language pathology assessment, occupational therapy assessment, and a medical evaluation to determine whether diagnostic criteria for FASD are met.

A diagnosis is not intended to define a person or place a limiting label on them. Rather, it can provide an important framework for understanding how an individual experiences and interacts with the world, helping to explain areas of difficulty while also identifying strengths and abilities and most importantly provides recommended strategies for support. A clear understanding of an individual’s neurodevelopmental profile can support more responsive, individualized approaches to education, treatment, relationships, and daily living, while helping families, caregivers, and professionals better understand how to provide effective support.

Through this work, the CARS team strives to contribute to greater awareness, understanding, and meaningful support for individuals with FASD and to the ongoing work of reconciliation.

Those interested in learning more about FASD can find additional resources through the Sask FASD Network.