Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

Family Resources Plan and Family Project

FAMILY INTRODUCTION (PART 1)

The Davis family consists of 2 children and their parents. The father, Sultan (M) 32, works at
the local grocery store. Abigay (F) 30 his wife works at a local hotel cleaning rooms. They are
part of a middle class economic status. They currently live together in Los Angeles, California.
They are religiously active as Muslims. The children are all adopted.

From oldest to youngest the children are Dymond (F, 8), Kaleisha (F, 6), and they are thinking
of adopting another child, a boy that is currently not born yet (Jaden). They were contacted
because the mom, who has currently drug and alcohol problems, is Kaleisha’s mom and is
pregnant again; so, the adoption center would like them to have the siblings together if possible.
Even though it’s a hard decision, they are thinking about it.

Sultan moved to California when he was 19, by himself. He has been working since then in
several jobs throughout time, but since he and his wife adopted children, he has just been
working in the hotel job. He met Abigay in his first job as a prep cook. She worked washing the
dishes; she was 17. She came to live in the U.S. at 12 with her older brother (and his wife)
looking for better opportunities and to help their family back in Jamaica. She lived with them
until she married Sultan at 18.

While trying to get pregnant themselves, Sultan and Abigay gained custody of their oldest
daughter Dymond. Dymond is the biological daughter of Sultan’s youngest sister, Taniyah, and
an unknown father. Although they were unsure at first, after some coaxing from Sultan’s mother,
they agreed to legally adopt Dymond. Sultan’s family still lives in Jamaica, but he would like to
be able to help them move to the United States eventually. Taniyah is most anxious to move to
the United States to be closer to Dymond.

After struggling with infertility, Sultan and Abigay chose to adopt locally to grow their family and
provide Dymond a sibling. They worked with a local agency, to adopt from a single mother who
could not emotionally or financially support the baby she had (Kaleisha). Although they are not
as economically established as they would like to be, they have been able to make ends meet
and have seen the benefits of having and building a family together.

Income
Middle Class, dual income. Middle class for this area is from $40 000 to $60 000 annually.

Community
Gramercy Park - Predominantly Black neighborhood with a large population of Jamaican- born
immigrants. The neighborhood is friendly, and they’ve found and developed some closer
friendships with the other Jamaicans in the neighborhood. There are some local parks around,
but Dymond and Kaleisha can only go if it’s light outside.
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

Work
● Abigay works cleaning rooms at a hotel, the local Residence Inn Marriott. Abigay is
friendly and has made a few close friends with her coworkers. Her manager admires her
work ethic and believes she is a good employee.
● Sultan works at a grocery store as a cashier (at the local Ralphs). He keeps to himself
but does his job effectively. His coworkers enjoy working with him but he does not have
any close friends.

Extracurricular activities
- The children participate in some community after school programs where they have
been learning art and spending some time outside learning new games. They meet
some friends through this and their local school, but remain close to each other.
- Dymond has a special interest in art such as painting and sidewalk chalk.
- Kaleisha enjoys doing art with her older sister but loves physical games such as
hopscotch and jump rope.

ECOMAP

PART 2

Early Intervention
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

- The Davis’ access early intervention service through Westside Regional Center
their local resource center, which they were referred to by the adoption agency.

Through Westside Regional Center, they’re able to get access to local services and
service providers in their area. While doctors are able to make referrals, parents or
agencies are also able to make referrals.

This is all provided at no cost to the family. After they get involved with the Intake
Department, Jaden will be evaluated and assessed by developmental specialists to
determine eligibility. After this, they are able to gain Access to the Early Start
program, which is California’s state wide early intervention programs.

The front office is reachable at (310) 258-4096. They will go on to provide them
access to other community resources.

Intake Process - Ages Birth to 3 - Westside Regional Center

Including: Westside Family Resource and Empowerment Center (parenting classes and
FASD specific support resources) (http://wfrec.org)

- The access to this parenting support network and resources allows Sultan and
Abigay to have more knowledge of the process and expectations involved with
FASD and steps forward to continually improve Jaden’s development and be
advocates as they navigate obtaining other resources and services such as Social
Security Disability benefits to afford to hire a respite worker, etc.

- Recovering Mothers Anonymous- Sultan and Abigay are pushing Jadens biological
mother to be active with the recovering mothers anonymous to have someone to
be accountable to while trying to stay clean. http://recoveringmothers.org/

Family Systems Theory

Marital Relationship- Sultan and Abigay have always had a close relationship. They are
excited about the prospect of adopting another child although it will be a lot of work and a
strain on them financially.

Parental Relationship- Sultan and Abigay think it will be beneficial for Dymond and
Kaelisha to have a baby brother. They want to make sure that Dymond and Kaelisha both
get the one on one parent time that is important for their growth.

Sibling Relationship- Although they are adopted Dymond and Kaelisha have grown closer
through the years. They enjoy doing activities together like drawing and hopscotch. They
are excited to have a baby brother to take care of.
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

Extended Family- Sultan's family is anxious to come to America. They are happy for the
couple at the prospect of adopting another child but they are also worried because this
means they will probably have to wait longer to come to America.

Prenatal-

● We know that Jaden will have fetal alcohol syndrome. Jaden will most likely have
low body weight, poor coordination, hyperactive behavior, learning disabilities and
speech and language delays.
● Sultan, Abigay and Jaden's biological mother will meet with a doctor twice a month
to discuss possible symptoms and treatment plans.
● Sultan and Abigay have adopted from Jaden's biological mother before so they
know what to expect.
● Doctors visit twice a month. Since Abigay and Sultan have a lower income they are
covered by insurance.

Perinatal-

● Complications during birth are high because Jaden has fetal alcohol syndrome.
● There are no family conditions that Jaden needs to worry about from his biological
mother.
● Although the pregnancy was high risk and there were extra pediatric nurses on
hand the birth went relatively smoothly.
● The birth was covered by Sultan and Abigail's insurance.
● Abigay and Jadens birth mothers' sponsors from recovering mothers anonymous
were there for support during the birth.

Postnatal-

● Early intervention will be given to Jaden immediately following his birth. A

specialist will come to Jaden's natural environment once a week to work with
Jaden and his parents.
● The baby will be bottle fed as his biological mother will only have visiting rights
once a month.
● Abigay and Sultan have a carseat that they previously used for Kaelisha.
● Abigay does have maternity leave from her job. The hotel has luckily been very
easy to work with and lenient when Abigay explains that they are adopting another
child. They also allow her to work night hours when Sultan comes home so she has
a little extra income. Sultan has always been Abigay’s support and they are there
for each other during hard times.
● Many of Dymond and Kaelisha's outfits can be reworn by baby Jaden. As he gets
older they will need to purchase new clothing that is suitable for a boy.

UPDATED ECOMAP
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

PART 3

The Infant-Toddler Program has now engaged with the family.

Assessment:
Diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and addiction to Heroin. It was suspected from
before birth because of the mom’s addiction problems. Through the first weeks of his
life, they assessed his physical appearance and distinguishing features. They also
monitored Jaden’s physical and brain growth and development. The doctor decided to
assess for cognitive ability and learning and language development difficulties, health
issues, social and behavioral problems as he continues developing.
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: the severe end of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, which
includes both neurodevelopmental disorder and birth defects caused by drinking alcohol
during pregnancy.

On the different developmental domains the different things found were:

Physical
-Jaden’s weight is very low and he is really small.
-Sleep and sucking problems in infancy
-Abnormalities of the face (small eyes and thin mouth)
-Heart defects

Cognitive
-Jaden has a hard time learning how to talk.
-delayed development
-poor memory
-seizures

Communication
-Has some struggles understanding parents’ directions.
-Cannot speak yet.
-Cries to communicate, no specific verbal sounds.
-Sometimes, he remembers some signs for eating. He doesn’t always do it, though.

Social/Emotional
-Constant change of mood
-When Jaden is with other children, he cries until his mom picks him up.
-Constant crying from birth (a lot of high-pitch crying).

Adaptive Behavior
-Constant change in the toys he wants to play with.
-Cannot do one task for too long.
-Does not sleep well.
-jitteriness

ROLES
Service Coordinator- Interact with families coordinating the evaluations, monitors and
plans the family has for their child. The service coordinator ensures that all services are
individualized and child centered. The service coordinator works with the family when it
is most convenient for the family. They are in charge of multiple things.
● Conducting interviews and family training.
● Offer referrals and assistance with services.
● Complete IFSP
● Monitor effectiveness of services and practices.
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

Developmental Specialist- authority in assessing physical and medical development of

a child. They know the developmental norms of every child and monitor if the child is
meeting those norms. They are in charge of these things.
● Assess family concerns as well as goals.
● Completes reports and documentation of procedures.
● Provides individual intervention for infants in all areas of development.

Pediatric Nutritionist- Assesses the child's nutritional needs as well as their individual
deficiencies. They will assess the child's nutritional history and determine what steps
need to be made to improve their nutrition.
● Determine feeding skills and needs.
● Determine what food preferences are.
● Referring to a medical specialist if needs be.

Three Service Agencies:

- Physical Therapist: Stephanie Shimizu BA BS
https://www.dicptherapy.com/pediatric-services-our-team/dicp-staff
- Occupational Therapist: Sena Felt BA BS https://www.dicptherapy.com/pediatric-
services-our-team/dicp-staff
- Nutritionist: Sarah McCormick, MS, RDN, LD https://nwpfnutrition.com

IFSP LINK
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16sT6aalFArC-Pjjr4BwLBBq4d4RzTJSU/view?usp=sharing
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

PRESCHOOL YEARS (Part 4)

Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

*MAJOR CHANGE* Jaden rides tricycle off porch and gets a bad concussion

- Needs to rest cognitively, and needs to sleep more

- Struggled with sleeping initially, concussion has complicated things.

Services

1. Nicole Torrence - Pediatric Sleep Consultant (local)

● Website: www.sleepbabyowl.com
● Phone: 310.910.3318
● Email: nicole@sleepbabyowl.com
- Help parents and Jaden get more sleep to help with concussion symptoms
and overall functioning

2. Parenting Class
Parent Child Interaction Therapy
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

- Required by CPS and adoption agency to be considered for additional funding for
services

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a proven parent-child treatment program for parents who have children
with behavioral problems (e.g., aggression, non-compliance, defiance, and temper tantrums.) PCIT is a unique
treatment program promoting positive parent-child relationships and interactions, and teaching parents child
management skills. PCIT has been adapted as an intervention for many different types of families, including those
receiving child welfare services or exposed to violence, those with children on the autism spectrum, adoptive families
and foster families.
PCIT is a short-term therapy model which may positively impact children, including children in foster care, or at risk of
entering foster care. PCIT is available for children 2-5 years old who meet the following eligibility requirements:

● Diagnosed with a mental illness

● Impairment in life functioning
● Treatment will improve life functioning
● The illness is not responsive to physical health care-based treatment

If you are a DCFS youth who has a child that meets one of the eligibility requirements, or just to learn more
about PCIT, call (213) 739-5430.

(https://dcfs.lacounty.gov/parents/parent-resources/)

3. Children’s Hospital Concussion Treatments

https://www.chla.org/sports-concussion-clinic

323-361-2142

- Help to restore balance and reduce irritability, and slowly improve and increase functioning.

From website, about resource:

Physical therapy can be an important treatment for concussions. Our physical therapists specialize
in helping young athletes heal from concussions and other sports-related injuries. We help with:

● Balance and vertigo problems: Some children with concussions experience balance
problems or vertigo (dizziness). Our physical therapists are trained in treatments to ease
these problems. We teach your child exercises to do at home.
● Headaches and body pain: Your child may have headaches from the brain injury or neck and
shoulder pain from taking a hit to the body. Stretching and strengthening exercises, as well
as eye exercises, can help.
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

● Restoring strength and endurance: When the time is right, we help your child regain muscle
strength and stamina lost during concussion recovery. We help your child safely get back to
sports and school without making concussion symptoms worse.

Jaden is now three years old and starting preschool. At age 2 years and 9 months old, the
preschool program did an assessment of your child in preparation for them transitioning
from the Early Intervention Program to Preschool.

MDT Report Key Findings in developmental domains:

Cognitive Domain
● Jaden can currently:
-Be curious about objects
-Ask what is that
-Play make-believe situations

● Jaden can sometimes:

-Follow instructions of a simple game
-Play for 5 minutes the same game
-remember names of colors

● Jaden cannot yet:

-Sit still for longer than 2 minutes
-Remember what a story is about after it being read to him
-Sort things by category (e.g. sort animals when asked)

Communication

● Jaden can:
-Write some letters
-Say individual letters aloud
-Ask or say full sentences/questions
-Use pictures to communicate

● Jaden can sometimes:

-Write down his first name with assistance (someone holding his hand)
-Say words correctly
-Ask for what he wants without crying/yelling
-Repeat a word after mom

● Jaden cannot yet:

-Read independently
-Ask for something with full words
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

-Use how, who, where in questions

Physical/Motor
● Jaden can:
-Hold a pencil correctly
-Write without assistance
-Walk by himself

● Jaden can sometimes:

-Grab something and hold on to it
-Walk without tripping or bumping into things.
-Point with his index finger

● Jaden cannot yet:

-Use the tricycle without being pushed.
-Feed himself
-Turn objects around

Social-Emotional
● Jaden can:
-Laugh
-Continue playing with someone when encouraged and the other child starts the
interaction
-Play by himself

● Jaden can sometimes:

-Play with other children
-Stay calm when mom is not there
-Cry for less than 2 hours non-stop.

● Jaden cannot yet:

-Start a conversation with others
-Understand others’ emotions
-Control his emotions-He still gets irritable and cries a lot.

Adaptive behavior
● Jaden can:
-Grab food with his whole fist
-Eat soft foods.
-Cry when hungry.

● Jaden can sometimes:

-Sleep for longer than an hour.
-Use the toilet properly with assistance.
-Eat the food he is given
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

● Jaden cannot yet:

-Sleep for a full night
-Have full control of peeing/pooping
-Let go of something he likes
-Not do something when told not to.

The child still has ups and downs in his mood and still gets angry, sad, very easily. He still
has difficulties sleeping, but this has increased after his concussion. The pain also made
the nights worse for him. He cries for longer hours. However, he has learned to
understand some pictures and what they mean -using them repeatedly to indicate a habit
that is done every single day at the same time-like eating or using the toilet at a specific
time. He still doesn’t understand everything very well and it is hard for him to remember a
lot of directions or meaning of pictures. It is hard for him to follow instructions or to do
what is told (not grabbing something), which will get him more irritable if the parents give
him a consequence. He likes to play and explore, but his mobility is not yet in a very big
range. When he was with his siblings, he had curiosity and wanted to try the tricycle which
is what led him to go to the driveway and having a concussion. He needs full supervision.

Children learn more language from peers (peer models) than from parents/adults.

Note about family systems theory:

Marital: Sultan and Abigay are happy in their marriage, but are finding that they have less
and less time to spend together, as they are often working opposite shifts, and taking
turns to make sure the girl’s needs are met, and Jaden is being taken care of with all of his
extra needs and appointments. Less time together has unfortunately made it so they
haven't really been able to spend time alone together or nurture their friendship. They
were more able to have date nights before they adopted Jaden, but unfortunately that has
kind of stopped. When they do have time together, they are usually so sleep deprived that
they choose to sleep instead. They don’t disagree often, but when they do it’s primarily
about finances. However, they manage to resolve conflicts peacefully, however it seems
that there isn’t much of a solution or many other ways to make money. Abigay is hopeful
that they will be able to come up with some additional solutions, but they are yet to find a
promising solution.

Parental: Sultan and Abigay are kind and loving parents, but have felt exhausted recently
with Jaden’s issues sleeping and the recent added stress of Jaden’s concussion has
created some serious guilt and feelings of inadequacy. Jaden’s concussion occurred while
being supervised by the daughters in the backyard as Abigay made a phone call to a sleep
specialist. As a result, Sultan and Abigay are feeling extra protective and also very guilt-
ridden, feeling that this concussion shows that they are not being good parents. Following
the concussion, there was a visit from CPS (as enforced by the adoption agency). This
caused a lot of stress for the parents and the girls. The girls are now feeling somewhat
Eliza Laycock, Sandra Hernandez, Skyler Jensen

weary around strangers and neighbors with the panic that followed Jaden’s concussion
and visit from CPS.

Sibling Relationship: Dymond and Kaleisha have enjoyed the opportunity to work more
with Jaden. They love having a little baby brother,but are sometimes tired of how much
time takes up,and how much he screams and cries sometimes. They have gotten even
closer together with the birth of Jaden, as it seems their parents have a little less time for
them. They enjoy doing art together and playing with the neighbor kids. Jaden loves
spending time with his sisters, and can be comforted by them, although he is very resistant
and agitated around strangers, new people, and new places. Dymond and Kaleisha feel
appreciated and special knowing that Jaden loves them and trusts them.

Extended family:

The extended family, primarily in Jamaica, have been mostly supportive with the adoption
of Jaden into the family. Taniyah, Dymond’s biological mother (Sultan’s sister) heard
about Jaden’s concussion and the visit from CPS through Dymond and has some feelings
of angst and anger related to the fact that Sultan or Abigay didn’t tell her that directly.
Taniyah is putting extra pressure on Sultan and Abigay to support her financially to move
to the United States to live with them and their family to support their family, and spend
more time with the girls, as she feels they are not getting enough time and are not being
properly cared for.

https://fasdunited.org/resource-directory/

IEP LINK

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:2c696e68-0cb1-4ebe-
b27e-b70d0e6897d5