Neuroscience research underscores the influence of environmental factors, teratogens, and prenatal or postnatal stressors such as trauma, alcohol, and drug exposure on brain development. Many children impacted by these factors also face behavioral struggles. Why do traditional parenting techniques often fall short for such children and what alternative strategies can parents use to effectively support their children? Part one of this workshop will teach participants how to apply a brain-first approach to parenting children who have FASD and other neurobehavioral conditions. Through this lens, behaviors are redefined and solutions are aligned with research findings, offering new insights into supporting affected children more successfully.

Eileen Devine is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Brain First Parenting. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two teenage children, one of whom lives with FASD. She has over 20 years of clinical experience and for the last ten of those years, has focused solely on supporting parents who have kids with neurobehavioral conditions. In addition to her clinical work with parents, she facilitates dozens of workshops and trainings each year for parents, teachers, and mental health professionals and is a trainer for the Center for Adoption Support and Education’s (C.A.S.E.) accredited Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) Program, where she instructs other clinicians across the state of Oregon on what it means to be an adoption and foster competent therapist.