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FASD Awareness Fundraiser – RED Leadership Transforming Community: Youth Engagement Youth Empowerment

JULY 25, 2024

To celebrate FASD Awareness, the Classroom Celebrating Neurodiversity family has created this beautiful shirt to send an important message supporting community members with FASD. This t-shirt, “You are Our Gift: Honouring Individuals with FASD” is a reflection of our students hopes and visions for their community. Sales closed- join us for our FASD Community Gathering on September 8 to purchase your t-shirt in person.

A red shirt with white text “You are our gifts: Honouring Individuals with FASD” on it

Artist Statement:

This design reflects a child diagnosed with FASD being gifted and honoured by an Elder. Behind the parent holding the child, it shows individuals from all walks of life supporting the family. We are honoured to share and uphold important Indigenous teachings which have been shared with us on our healing journey. Firstly, that all babies/children have come to us to be our teachers. Secondly, that neurodivergent people are medicine carriers and knowledge bearers who have special skills and teachings the rest of the community would be without if not for them. They help our communities grow into spaces that are rooted in walking in a good way, which are safe, inclusive, and balanced. They are to be honoured.

Our Purpose for Our Fundraiser

RED Leadership Transforming Community: Youth Engagement, Youth Empowerment

We are selling shirts to raise funds for youth-led events that provide safe and inclusive spaces, experiences and opportunities for youth who are suspected of or have an FASD diagnosis in Toronto.

These events will be led by our youth in the Classroom Celebrating Neurodiversity as they continue their journey with education and therapeutic services.

Youth across Toronto will have the opportunity to meet others with FASD, get involved in community volunteering, participate in land-based learning and healing opportunities, and have fun participating in recreational activities such as campfire cooking, sports and games, hikes, tours, and adventure sports. Sales closed- join us for our FASD Community Gathering on September 8 to purchase your t-shirt in person.

About the Classroom Celebrating Neurodiversity

Our Celebrating Neurodiversity Classroom is a safe and inclusive learning environment for students of all backgrounds who self-identify with having Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) or suspect they have FASD. They are youth who were in search of a program that honoured their diversity and had a different approach to education and healing. Our program offers credits from the First Nations, Metis and Inuit Studies Department and aims to uphold traditional Indigenous knowledge as the way forward in healing and education.

We are proud to support our young leaders in the Classroom Celebrating Neurodiversity in this journey. All year, our students have been learning about the impacts of colonialism, the strength of Turtle Island’s Indigenous Peoples and the power of land-based healing and learning in building a sense of safety, community and positive identity.

Interested in finding other ways to participate in International FASD Awareness Day?

Join us on September 8th at St. James Park for the first FASD Community Gathering and move-a-thon.

LEARN MORE

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By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO