2026 Education and FASD International Conference • Oct 23, 2026

Not Your Typical Teaching Approach: Practical Brain-Based Strategies for Students with FASD and Other Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders

12:00PM to 1:20PM PDT / 80min

Students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and other Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CNDs) are often misunderstood in educational settings because their difficulties are inconsistent, often misdiagnosed, misunderstood, hidden, and frequently mistaken for behavioural choices. Some common and traditional teaching approaches may unintentionally increase frustration, dysregulation, school avoidance, and feelings of failure for both students and educators.

Drawing from over 30 years of clinical practice, provincial leadership in FASD, and the newly released Not Your Typical Teaching Guide, this presentation translates neuroscience into practical classroom strategies that educators can begin using immediately. Participants will explore how challenges with executive functioning, communication, memory, emotional regulation, dysmaturity, social understanding, sensory processing, and the transfer of learning affect everyday classroom performance.

Rather than focusing on compliance, this session emphasizes creating environments where students feel safe, understood, and capable of success. Through real-life examples, case discussions, and practical tools, participants will learn how relatively small adjustments in communication, expectations, and classroom structure can dramatically improve engagement, reduce behavioural crises, and help students experience genuine success.