It's quite late to suggest, but if you could go to the NACAC Conference in Tampa, Florida, it would help. There are so many different workshops, your head would spin. But you could go and hear many great speakers and get your head around more of what will occur with adoption.

So my biggest suggestion is to attend workshops and read, read, read. You can attend foster parent college on-line for great classes. www.sociallearning.com (Won't let me link for some reason this a.m.)

I believe the statistics that report that 80-90% of kids in care are alcohol and drug related. So the question of an FASD kid is more likely than not to come into your home. Most of our local agencies tell parents to expect an FASD kid, and parent that way until you know they are not affected.

I have never had a kid come with the dx. It even says on one's birth release records that bio mom drank, yet the agency did not read nor dx said kid. Would have saved alot of sleepless nights for the foster parents to "get" this kid.

I have 6 kids who are FASD - 5 have the dx. They are bright and delightful most of the time. They have their moments of despair like all people. I am confident that 2 will be independent in their early 20s. One will never be indepedent. The other 3 are still not old enough to tell for sure. But there are all sorts of gains being made in this arena to help provide better services to keep them safe despite their brain gaps. They tend to be quite moody. One minute upset, the next willing and able to conquer the worst troubles for me.

I think the most helpful part of parenting an FASD kid is creativity. I have to be really creative to stay ahead of their behaviors and needs. I am constantly looking for a new program that might service them. I do have ragers. They can become unglued over anything. But... I only have one rager in a teen body - and it is very, very rare. They have all calmed down at this point.