Addtional Support Services

Clinical Services: The Arc's clinical services coordinator works as part of a team that focuses on improving the quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities by concentrating on specific aspects of an individual's behavior. Team members conduct individual assessments and work with the consumer to develop an intervention plan.

Staff Training: The Arc's Training Coordinator provides basic training for staff in the areas of developmental disabilities, abuse and neglect, outcome measurements, behavior and crisis intervention, esteem building, medication monitoring, CPR and first aid.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Education and Outreach:
The Arc of Atlantic County has an office of FAS Outreach and Education. Through the work of this office, in coordination with the NJ Office for Prevention of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, over 6,000 Atlantic County residents-from school age children to senior parishioners-have heard about the risk of drinking alcohol while pregnant.

According to the National Institutes of Health, of every 10,000 babies born in the United States, 120 have FAS or Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND). FAS is the only known cause of mental retardation which is 100 percent preventable.

FAS is difficult to diagnose but some of the characteristics include attention deficits, memory deficits, hyperactivity, difficulty with abstract concepts, poor problem solving skills, poor judgment, difficulty learning consequences, immature behavior and poor impulse control. There are also physical characteristics such as low birth weight, small head circumference, small and widely placed eyes, flat mid-face, short upturned nose, thin upper lip, epicanthal folds, smooth and wide philtrum, and an underdeveloped jaw.

Because of the difficulty in diagnosing FAS and the hesitancy of some parents to pursue the diagnosis, The Arc is proud to offer free education on this important matter.