1 Hours / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Overview - FASD and the Law is presented by Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD, and Michael Perlin, JD, in partnership with the Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates (MDLPA)

Despite the movement to provide adequate care to persons with disabilities in the legal system, similar protections for persons with fetal alcohol syndrome have remained notably absent. 

Support and services for persons with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) are still lacking, and FASD remains a low priority in mental disability and disability rights advocacy. FASD is linked to several factors that distinguish it as a distinct disability with unique considerations, such as high rates of mental health issues and substance use challenges, justice system involvement, and experiences of stigmatization. Given the complexity of the diagnosis, a human-rights-based approach to supporting persons with FASD is important, including the diversity of impairment and the potential for experiences of inequality in legal and treatment settings. FASD is often overlooked or misinterpreted in the criminal court system and has yet to be fully accepted in the context of incompetency, insanity, and mitigation in criminal case law. One particular area of concern and need for reform is during the criminal sentencing phase. Although persons with FASD share some commonalities with other disability groups and complex populations, the need for individualized services, accommodations, and trauma-informed approaches is necessary to ensure equality under the law. Therapeutic jurisprudence, a relational approach to law that emphasizes the role of empowerment, human rights, and psychological/emotional well-being in legal matters, may provide a framework to respect the rights of persons with FASD who are justice-involved.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the etiology of FASD
  • 2 Describe why FASD is so often a factor in justice involvement, especially in the case of discrete groups of marginalized persons
  • 3 Describe why this issue is of relatively low priority in the “agenda” of disability rights advocates, and
  • 4 Describe the relationship between traumatic brain injury and critical stages of the criminal trial process (including the incompetency status and the insanity defense), especially at sentencing
  • Intended Audience

    This training is for psychologists, social workers, counselors, legal professionals, and other helping professionals at any stage of their career who are interested in understanding and supporting individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) within legal and mental health contexts. It is particularly relevant for those specializing in forensic mental health, disability advocacy, clinical psychology, counseling, and trauma-informed care. Participants typically work in environments such as forensic or correctional settings, mental health clinics, hospitals, community-based organizations, and legal systems.

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for all career stages: entry-level, mid-career, and experienced professionals.

  • Practice Setting

    • Professionals in forensic psychology
    • Criminal justice practitioners
    • Legal professionals (attorneys, judges, legal advocates)
    • Social workers
    • Mental health professionals working with legal or forensic populations
    • Staff in correctional facilities, forensic hospitals, or advocacy organizations

Presented By

Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD, Prof. Distinguished Adj., NYLS; Owner, MDLPA; Prof. Adj., Emory University School of Law; Bd. Dir. Collier School

Heather Ellis Cucolo is Distinguished Adjunct professor of law and the facilitator of the joint JD/MA program with John Jay College of Criminal Justice, at New York Law School (NYLS). She is also an adjunct professor in the JM Program at Emory University School of Law, and a Fellowship faculty member at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In addition to those roles, Professor Cucolo is co-owner of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates, a legal education and professional training company, and was elected to the board of trustees for the International Society of Therapeutic Jurisprudence, a non-profit organization. Formerly, in her full-time legal practice, Professor Cucolo dedicated her career to representing individuals at trial facing civil commitment under both the New Jersey Mental Hygiene Law and New Jersey’s Sexually Violent Predators Act. She authored and argued appeals before the New Jersey Appellate Division with over 27 reported decisions. She has published four textbooks and over 21 law review articles with mentions in an Eastern District of New York court decision and an Iowa appellate decision. She was honored to receive the Otto L. Walter Distinguished Writing Award for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019. Professor Cucolo’s international work has included: expert testimony on extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States for persons convicted of a sex offense; pro bono advocacy for LawAid International; speaking at the United Nations on the rights of persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region; and the creation of an instructional course on disability legislation for attorneys in Japan.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Heather  Ellis Cucolo, JD

Presented By

Michael L. Perlin, JD

Michael L. Perlin is Professor of Law Emeritus at New York Law School (NYLS), founding director of NYLS’s Online Mental Disability Law Program, and founding director of NYLS’s International Mental Disability Law Reform Project in its Justice Action Center. He is also the co-founder of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates. He has written 31 books and nearly 300 articles on all aspects of mental disability law, many of which deal with the overlap between mental disability law and criminal law and procedure.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Michael L. Perlin, JD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Provides essential knowledge of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and their impact in legal, clinical, and community settings

  • Offers practical strategies for assessing, supporting, and advocating for individuals with FASD

  • Emphasizes applications in forensic mental health, disability advocacy, clinical psychology, counseling, and trauma-informed care

  • Highlights the intersection of FASD with legal systems and mental health services to strengthen professional practice

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.

We are proud to partner with

Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates

Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates

We are proud to partner with Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates, LLC for this training. MDLPA is a boutique educational training company that offers specialized mental disability law consulting, the creation or enhancement of distance learning programs, in-house or online courses, and day or weekend training seminars to reputable organizations, educational institutions, professional groups, and advocacy groups focused on providing advanced knowledge and skills to persons working with marginalized populations.