'Every Second Is a Fresh Start': Building Collaborative Relationships to Support a Student with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

This paper tells the story of how one school leveraged the expertise of a family to build an equitable collaboration that transformed the educational experiences of Jake, a fifth-grade student with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Personal accounts from 3 teachers, 2 administrators, and a parent illustrate the power of leaning into relationships to gain knowledge and compassion for reaching some of our most vulnerable students. The major themes that emerge across their reflections include: the power of families and educators working together, the need for FASD training, and the need to re-evaluate the systemic structures that are in place. Their insights illustrate the importance of nurturing teachers to collaborate with families, to take pedagogical risks, and to advocate for their neurodiverse students.