The Portage School Division is educating it's staff on a common
disorder linked to mothers drinking during pregnancy. Portage School
Division psychologist Barbara Johnston says fetal alcohol spectrum
disorder can manifest itself in a number of ways and each person will
react differently to it. She notes sensory perception, short term
memory and responsiveness to discipline are all altered by the
disorder.
Johnston adds Portage School Division members held a meeting, and an
objective of educating staff about the disorder has been set. She notes
it is important to recognize though the disorder is irreversible,
children who are affected have a lot of options to overcome their
challenges. Johnston says educators need to be aware the disease
carries such a wide range of disabilities, and prepared to deal with
each case on an individual basis. She notes taking steps to better
understand the disease which faces children everyday will bring the
division one step closer to helping those students be successful.