Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and the Church with Joel Sheagren

"Did you know that according to a 2023 Study in the National Library of Medicine that Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in the general public?"

Did you also know that most people (and most churches) don't know much about it? Or how to best support kids who have it?

Well, today, we are going to learn more together. Join us as we dive into Part 1 of our series on FASD with parent and advocate, Joel Sheagren. Joel shares all about his personal (and very unique) faith journey, why parenting (or teaching) a child with FASD in the traditional way can sometimes be counterproductive, how Youth leaders can help set their students up for success, and so much more. 

Joel Sheagren Bio

Joel is a veteran director, producer, photographer, and director of photography, who consistently has achieved award-winning visual stories across the globe. He is also a father to a son with FASD and a passionate advocate. He writes and speaks on the subject around the nation, and he is the co-author of the soon-to-be released book – Embracing Hope: Innovative Strategies to Empower Parents Raising Neurodiverse Teens, as well as the Director and Co-producer of Embracing Zak, a movie about a young man with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, which is currently in development. So, we are going to get into some really important stuff.

More Information:

Learn more about the Embraced projects - embracedmovement.org

Free ebook for church leaders - Shepherding Neurodiversity

Learn more about FASD - fasdunited.org 

Citations: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10880764/

To learn more about Wonderful Works Ministry visit wonderfulworksministry.orghttps://www.wonderfulworksministry.org

A quick note on disability terms:

Before you listen, I wanted to talk to you about something important about our podcast, and that is how we will be referring to disability during our discussions. We want you to know that at Wonderful Works Ministry, we know that words matter. We will strive to use preferred language regarding disability. But we also understand that preferred terms change over time and also can be subjective and vary from person to person, even among those with a shared diagnosis. With this in mind, we ask that you understand that we, here at Wonderful Works, and our guests may use a variety of terms on this show and in our resources. Please know that we will always approach language with inclusion, dignity and respect, and we hope you will too. Thank for listening!

One more quick note:

The views and opinions expressed in our show are those of our guests and do not necessarily reflect those of Wonderful Works Ministry. Wonderful Works Ministry does not provide medical, legal, or therapeutic advice or services. Rather, we provide general information regarding disability ministry. The information provided in our content does not replace the advice of medical, legal, or educational professionals. Wonderful Works Ministry is not respo