Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

Cognitive and Social Deficits Associated with FASDNatalie Novick-Brown, University of Washington (natnovickbrown@gmail.com)FASD is a somewhat hidden disorder, and as a result most attorneys, and many mental healthexperts, will fail to recognize that they may have a client who has FASD. This presentation willspell out for attorneys and experts the physical signs, social history indicators, and psychometricscore patterns suggestive of FASD. Particular emphasis will be placed on associated neurocognitive(e.g., executive functioning) and adaptive behavior (e.g., suggestibility) deficits andhow they contribute to a diagnosis. Actual case material will be used to illustrate the roles ofdifferent professionals, and the advantages of such professionals working together as part of aninterdisciplinary team.How Lawyers Can Use FASD to Seek Lesser or Alternative SentencesWilliam J. Edwards, Los Angeles County Public Defender, Los Angeles, USA(wedwards@pubdef.lacounty.gov)A diagnosis of FASD can be critical in convincing both prosecutors and judges to considerdiverting criminal defendants from severe criminal charges or sentences. Using actual caseillustrations, this presentation will show how declarations or testimony by experts knowledgeableabout FASD can be used to put together a case for legal incompetence, for reduced criminalculpability, or for non-penal treatments, such as supervised community living placements. Thekey ingredient in such an effort is telling a story that humanizes the defendant and reframes hisor her behaviors in more sympathetic terms, as reflecting brain damage caused by exposure toalcohol in the womb.FASD as a "Common Sense Deficit Disorder"Stephen Greenspan, University of Colorado (stephen.greenspan@gmail.com)The reason why FASD is an important mitigating factor in a criminal case is because it allows anattorney to reframe offending behaviors as “dumb, not bad.” People with FASD behave in theinterpersonal realm essentially as if they have intellectual disability (ID), even when their IQ istoo high to qualify for that diagnosis. People with neuro-developmental disorders, such as bothFASD and ID, have an absence of “common sense,” defined as ability to recognize social orphysical risk. Examples from actual criminal cases are used to illustrate this point. Just as somecivil agencies provide a “brain damage waiver” allowing people with FASD to access163