Nonprofit Proof Alliance Helps Families with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Proof Alliance is a nonprofit that helps Minnesota families dealing with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) find resources and connection. The group is holding its annual caregiver conference at the Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center next week.
One Brooklyn Park family benefits from their services.
The Thompson Family
If you spend an afternoon with Temphy Thompson and her kids, it’s likely there won’t be a dull moment.
“We love having picnics in the yard. We love swimming, we love going on family road trips,” Thompson said.
Thompson was already a single mom of three before she adopted her nephew and nieces Jessie, Lillyan and Trinton. Three years of fostering and two years of parenting later, she’s used to the chaos.
“By the kids coming into my life, I wouldn’t change anything,” Thompson said.
Those kids don’t come without challenges. The adopted three all experience FASD.
The disability is caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Thompson said that in her experience, FASD comes out in many different ways — some including aggression and difficulties in school.
“What’s the hardest part is dealing with the mental health system, and trying to find resources and help for your child,” Thompson said.
Thompson’s had difficulties dealing with schools and Individualized Education Plans (IEP) plans for one of her kids. She said Proof Alliance was one resource in navigating the IEP world and understanding what accommodations can be available for kids with FASD.
She sees challenges for her children in school, at home and in her own friendships. Since she took the kids under her wing, she said she’s faced a lot of misunderstanding.
“I shy away from talking to people who don’t know about it, because they come with a lot of judgement. So that’s really hard. I’ve really tried to connect myself with parent groups, or other adoptive parents, foster parents that have experience dealing with children with behaviors,” Thompson said.
Thompson and her three adopted kids spend time in their neighborhood park. Thompson also has three older, adult children.
Resources for Families
She said she finds other families with FASD in Facebook groups, as well as through organizations like Proof Alliance.
The group helps to ease the load on caregivers like her by providing opportunities for connection, as well as activities for families.
The disorder affects 1 in 20 school-aged kids in the United States, but it still is not talked about much. Proof Alliance Public Policy and Program Director Marissa Lang said without early diagnoses and awareness, those with FASD are at higher risk of getting into trouble and even incarceration. She wants the conversation to be more open and connected between caregivers.
“Since alcohol is in every community, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is in every community,” Lang said. She wants people to feel less isolated. “It can be really hard to find someone who understands the challenges that they are going through in their home.”
Caregivers come in all forms. They can be birth parents, adoptive parents, foster parents — and even professionals who care with those with FASD.
Lang said that even with federal budget cuts, she said Proof Alliance feels very supported by the Minnesota Department of Health Services. She wants the group to act as a protective community for those who need it most. She emphasizes one thing: all are welcome.
“Knowing more is definitely going to set that child up for success. Give them the strategies that they need. Give them the support network that they need to be able to raise that child,” Lang said.
Proof Alliance, while based in St. Paul, is holding a conference for caregivers in Brooklyn Center on May 15 and 16. It will have keynote speakers, breakout sessions and opportunities for caregivers to bond. Lang said caregivers of all kinds are welcome, including those who don’t know if they have a diagnosis yet.
More information about the conference, including how to sign up, is available on Proof Alliance’s website.
