Illustrated by Billy Pitrone

1.Teach families more about FASD and the characteristics/symptoms specific to their child

2. Identify priorities for home and/or school accommodations and strategies for success

3. Examine specific executive functioning needs and ways to support there development

4. Problem-solve the best ways to navigate symptoms that create problematic behaviors in home and/or school environments

Liz's personal & professional experiences with FASD give her a unique perspective & knowledge base. Liz has spoken about FASD at local, state, & national venues.

Invincible not Invisible

This funny and endearing story follows Charlie, a child who lives with an invisible disability, through a typical week. She faces a variety of frustrating challenges at home and school that make her feel overwhelmed. Charlie never realized that she had the answers all along. Fortunately, her mom has just what she needs to boost her self-confidence. Charlie's insightfulness about what makes her days hard helps others learn how they can help her.

Every child deserves to feel seen. Charlie, illustrated without obvious race or gender, allows the reader to see themselves in this character.

"Wonderfully written! So thoughtful and current and relevant. This should open some eyes and spark awareness much needed. It did for me!" JK

"I purchased this book to share with our dental office patients. It is heartwarming and educational. The illustrations are fantastic! I love the patience shown by Charlie's mother and the strength and determination of Charlie. The daily challenges Charlie faces are explained in a way to give us all a better understanding about this disability. Thank you for such a well written story." SE

"If you are looking for a great book for kids with FASD, this is it!!!! Invincible Not Invisible: FASD is Not the Boss of Me. Love, Love, Love the book!!!! Wish we had this when my kids were young!" TH

Praise for Invincible Not Invisible

Author

Children's Books

Blogs

Essays & Articles

Pants On Ants

Go by Goat

The Bark Park

Sail by a Tail

Children's Books

Pants On Ants

BY ELIZABETH REDHEAD KRISTON, MS/CCC-SLP

ILLUSTRATED BY GARY MORGAN

Pants on ants? Eggs with legs? Apes with capes? From playtime to bedtime, things are “just not right !"

The first book of the Word Menders series, Pants on Ants is a fabulous, fun romp that engages children (and adults too!) with its vivid imagery and strong rhythm and rhyme. But there is more to this carefully-crafted storybook than its cover!

Built-in minimal pair contrasts target initial consonant deletion for children who demonstrate this process and phonemic awareness for all listeners.

Pants on Arts includes a set of flashcards, which store in a handy pocket inside the back cover, that provide direct practice of the targeted minimal pairs and opportunities to extend the story.

SLPs will find many ways to use Pants on Ants both as a therapy tool and as a send-home-and-read-together book for all to enjoy.

Children's Books

Praise for Pants on Ants

-What a treat to have a book that is written by and SLP FOR SLPs! The minimal pairs are perfected suited for phonological process intervention as well as a host of other applications.

-My daughter has asked to read this book every day since it arrived.

-The flashcards are really terrific. My son loves to create new stories with them!

-The rhymes are fun and in no time kids are filling in the story from memory. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

-As a mom of an emergent reader and a kindergarten teacher for 10 years, I say add this to your book collection today!

-5.0 out of 5 stars Pants on Fire! Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2013

-What is not to love about this fun and engaging little book. The rhyming words make for easy reading and is developmental appropriate for children who are excited about wanting to be independent readers. The content is intriguing and fun for a young mind and along with the whimsical illustrations you are drawn right into the adventure. Not only will children fall in love with the story they will easily become enamored with the picture rhyming cards as well. As a mom of an emergent reader and a kindergarten teacher for 10 years I say add this to your book collection today! cammom

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun for kids! Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2013

Pants on Ants is a great book for little kids. I recently bought this for my four year old niece, and while she does not have need of speech therapy, she still enjoyed the book. In fact, because of the way the book is made, with detachable flash cards, my niece enjoys this book more than any others she has in her collection right now. She loves to play with the flash cards and match the pictures and read the words. Each time I visit her we read the book together and spend time playing with the flash cards. I highly recommend this book for any young child who is learning to read or is having difficulty with pronunciation. This book also has a great story dealing with the abstract and difficult subject of dreams, teaching children how to differentiate between dreams and reality. It is not just practice with reading and pronunciation, but also has a great story, therefore making it an ideal book to add to any child's collection. I hope that Redhead Kriston writes another children's book that is as good as this one! Jennifer

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great book :) Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2014

Kids are really loving this book. It's fun and the cards keep them interested in learning. I would recommend to anyone! Richard Mimis

5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter who is 5 absolutely loved it and wanted to read it over and over Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2016

I cannot say enough positive things about this book. My daughter who is 5 absolutely loved it and wanted to read it over and over. After just a few days she was reciting the book from memory. She was also learning several site words on her own, as it has a great repetitive pattern!!! I love this book and it was really well written! Great Illustrations as well:)

Amazon Customer

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5.0 out of 5 stars Kid tested and approved! Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2013

I am a preschool teacher and my students really enjoyed this book. I teach mostly 4 and 5-year-olds, but the teacher in our 3-year-olds room read the book as well and her students liked it too. The pictures are engaging, the rhymes are fun and they made it easy for my students to read along. The kids also liked the flashcards as they helped them to read words that were new to them. I would definitely recommend this book for this age group and for readers who are starting to read on their own. I can't wait to see the next book in the series! Mr. Jay

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5.0 out of 5 stars Pants on Ants Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2013

Pants on Ants is an exciting adventure through a child's dream. The whimsical illustrations add an adventure of their own finding the "eye peeping out of my cherry pie", checking out the ants in their pants to see what they are up to and whoever heard of eggs with legs and "stinky feet"? This is a book that will be read over and over again with the bonus of the flashcards to add to the fun. Andrea P

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5.0 out of 5 stars Pants on Ants Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2013

This is a "must have" for your little ones!!! I bought this for my grand-daughter who is 3 and has trouble with pronouncing some words; she loves the book!! Works with the flash-cards included, what a difference in her speech! Very well written and illustrated. Geared to keep a young ones attention, I highly recommend this book,especially if your little one has problems with speech. SHARAB

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Gift! Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2013

I work with several people with young kids. I bought this book for all of them and have gotten nothing but positive feedback. It has become a favorite of many and I've been told that it is a necessary bedtime story. The rhymes are fun and in no time kids are filling in the story from memory. I can't wait for the next book in the series! redcarmontana

Go by Goat

BY ELIZABETH REDHEAD KRISTON, MS/CCC-SLP

ILLUSTRATED BY GARY MORGAN

It's a very special day.

It's a very important date!

Little Miss Elephant has invited all of her friends to join her for a very special party. Some come by sea, some by train, some by goat. Will they make it in time to celebrate with her?

The second book of the Word Menders series, Go by Goat focuses on final sounds in words, helping children learn about phonemic awareness, a core skill for reading, as well as encouraging clear speech. And that's something to celebrate!

Go by Goat is designed to help children learn to hear and produce sounds and build core vocabulary through the use of carefully crafted word pairs and opportunities for active participation in the reading interactions.

Go by Goat includes flashcards to reinforce learning and extend the story.

Praise for Go by Goat

Ms. Kriston has done a magnificent job of blending phonemic and prosodic features of language. Read the book aloud and you realize that is has a wonderful meter that children will be able to use to repeat the story to themselves. The concept of generating stories around phonological processes is unique and beneficial to parents and children. Dr. and Mrs. Larry Turton (Dr. Turton is a well-respected expert in articulation and phonology and a professor emeritus from Indiana University of Pennsylvania).

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Goats, boats, and flying couches! Children will love this fun and whimsical story and enjoy playing with the flashcards. Engaging pictures, challenging words, and important consonant sounds makes this book highly effective for progressing children's speech.

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FINALLY!!! A story specifically for final consonant deletion. Genius!

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5.0 out of 5 stars great book Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2014 My daughter loves Go By Goat! She loves the flashcards that go along with it. She repeats quite a few words while I read it to her. It is a very cute book! Becky Drass

The Bark Park

BY ELIZABETH REDHEAD KRISTON, MS/CCC-SLP

ILLUSTRATED BY GARY MORGAN

"We wanted to go in and play, but Grumpy Pete wouldn't let us stay!"

The Bark Park in town is only for dogs, but other pets want to play, too! No matter how hard they try, these animal friends just can't get past Gatekeeper Pete who insists, "If you do not bark, you aren't allowed into my park!" But, with some quick thinking, and a friend or two to lend a hand, the animals find a place where everyone is welcome.

Built-in minimal pair contrasts target voicing contrasts for children who demonstrate this process and phonemic awareness for all listeners.

The third book in the Word Menders series, The Bark Park includes a set of flashcards, which store in a handy pocket inside the back cover, that provide direct practice of the targeted minimal pairs and opportunities to extend the story. SLPs will find many ways to use The Bark Park both as a therapy tool and as a send-home-and-read-together book for all to enjoy.

Praise for The Bark Park

Even before I read the last page, my daughter was begging me to "read it again, Mommy!"

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Rich vocabulary, strong rhythm and rhyme, and opportunities for children to chime in on every page.

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Everything you could want in a quality children's book. It earns an A+ from this SLP!

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What a gem. Targets talking, reading, learning, and laughter.

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Praise for The Bark Park

5.0 out of 5 stars

My daughter's favorite book! Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2015

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My 2 year old daughter just loves this book. I have found her many times sitting down and "reading" this book by herself. It has really helped with her speech. She loves pulling out the cards and putting them back. She doesn't even realize she's learning. It's just pure fun for her. Faithann Scott

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FABULOUS illustrations by Gary Morgan.

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BY ELIZABETH REDHEAD KRISTON, MS/CCC-SLP

ILLUSTRATED BY SHELLEY DAVIS

"Oh Cat! I think it would be so nice to sail by your tail on this nice night."

On a moonlit night on a sandy shore, Makena discovers an abandoned boat bobbing in the waves. Her excitement soon fades when she discovers it has neither a more nor oars. But, that doesn't stop Makena who sails away to adventures with the help of her friendly cat.

Miles of Smiles

BY ELIZABETH REDHEAD KRISTON, MS/CCC-SLP

ILLUSTRATED BY RECESS CREATIVE

The 6th book in the popular Word Menders series, Miles of Smiles targets consonant cluster reduction, paired reading, and more!

CLICK! CLACK! Up the track, mile by mile. What Maddy spied, as the world passed by, made her laugh and smile.

Join Maddy as she explores a world of wonder and whimsey. It lies just outside her window on a special train ride that she shares with her Pap-pap up and down a majestic mountain.

A Peanut Sat on a Railroad Track

By Elizabeth Redhead Kriston

Illustrated by Sheridan Turton

A Peanut sat on the railroad track, his heart was all aflutter. Around the bend came the Number 10. TOOT-TOOT Peanut Butter!

And that's just the beginning!

Peanuts get Crunched! Strawberries get Smushed! Chocolate Milk gets Whizzed! And Everyone is invited to the Picnic!

Includes recipe cards for eight fantastically fun foods to extend the fun and learning.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW YOU TUBE VIDEO OF LIVE READING OF THIS STORY.

Praise for A Peanut Sat on a Railroad Track

I utilize your books and resources often in my speech and language sessions. My most favorite resource is your book "Raincoats and Rainbows" by Elizabeth Redhead Kriston. My students love this book because it generates conversation within our sessions as the children are encouraged to talk about their favorite thing about each season. -Debbie MaGann, SLP

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This is my sons favorite bedtime story. We read it every night. It is nearly worn out. Doug (father of 2 boys)

BY ELIZABETH REDHEAD KRISTON, MS/CCC-SLP

ILLUSTRATED BY GARY MORGAN

Click here to see a live reading of Raincoats and Rainbows by DiscoveRead

“Raincoats and Rainbows. Sweaters and Soup.

That’s what I like. What do YOU like?”

Every day can be a special day when you take time to appreciate the little things in life. Raincoats and Rainbows opens young readers' minds to all of the things they can enjoy - in all sorts of weather!

Friendly questions built into the story invite children to contribute their own ideas to each scene. Add in alliterated noun pairs, present progressive verbs, and whimsical illustrations filled with details to discover and discuss, and Raincoats and Rainbows will keep children entertained and engaged while building foundation skills for language and literacy.

Praise for Raincoats and Rainbows

5.0 out of 5 stars Like this book!!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2016

We all like this dear book!!! Lisa Meyerhuber

Links to Blogs, Articles & Essays

Early Intervention In-Home to Online Evaluations:Why Online Assessments Work

Public Speaker

FASD Education

Early Literacy

Early Intervention

FASD Training and Education

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders affect at least 1/20 individuals and are significantly more prevalent than Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or other more commonly known developmental disabilities. Most professionals including doctors, therapists, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, and others know little or nothing about FASD despite its huge impact on society. Lack of education and misperceptions along with underdiagnosis are the reasons. FASD can be prevented with education and awareness. FASD has no known cure. The only hope we have for helping affected individuals to give them the supports and accommodations they require. Contact me to learn more about FASD

Audiences:

Teachers

Psychologists

Faculty/staff

Foster Care/Adoptive Parents

College/University Freshmen

Behaviorist/TSS/BCBA

Communities

Any Group that seeks more knowledge

Games For Learning Aout FASD

Mocktails Not Cocktails: For Greek Life or Groups who learn through fun competition (This game is currently available in-person only)

FASD: Fact or Fib: A board game full of important information for high school students and older (This game is available for pre-order)

Community Outreach

For Toddlers and up: Liz enjoys reaching out to the community in a variety of venues including libraries, daycares, preschools, bookstores, etc. These events typically involve an animated book reading during which Liz models for the parents and caregivers how to engage young children in an enriching literacy experience. By using a variety of techniques to engage her little listeners in the story, Liz is able to boost their literacy learning and keep them interested in the story. These events are usually followed-up by a craft or snack sponsored by the venue. Liz happily signs books and answers questions after the reading. This type of event takes at least 30 minutes and can last as long as needed.

Preschool-Third Grade

For this age group, Liz typically shares a few stories with the listeners while simultaneously introducing them to the parts of a book and basic literacy skills. This is an interactive, dynamic presentation where the students are encouraged to participate in a variety of ways from answering questions, identifying rhyming words, reciting repetitive lines, and asking questions. There are many laughs and much learning during this 30-45 minute presentation.

For this audience, Liz shares all her books and discusses the process of becoming an author. With a brief PowerPoint presentation, Liz covers how one can become an author by highlighting the progression from education, to forming ideas, to writing and editing, to publishing. Liz shares personal stories and real-life experiences with the audience all the while encouraging their questions and sharing their experiences. The students enjoy learning about the process of becoming an author and gaining some feedback on their thoughts. This presentation can last from 30-60 minutes depending on the audience's participation.

Third-Sixth Grade

Title I Training

This training is geared toward parents of children who need extra support with reading and literacy. Liz, with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, books, and materials, discusses how families can choose great books and use those books to help their children grow their literacy learning and reading proficiency. During this presentation, Liz models reading techniques that are proven to enhance literacy learning. Very specific examples and ideas are given and demonstrated. Questions are encouraged throughout this 60-90 minute presentation.

Fees

The fee attached to each presentation or training varies depending on length of the presentation, travel time and expense and whether or not books will be purchased in conjunction with the presentation or training. Please contact Liz for detailed information.

Speech-Language Patholgist

MS/CCC-SLP

Birth to Three: Early intervention Expert

Direct Therapy

Consultations

Coaching Model

Virtual

I attended an FASD training by Elizabeth Kriston in 2022. As a veteran School Psychologist, I was aware of FASD but learned so much more from this training. Mrs. Kriston was an engaging presenter who shared personal and insightful material on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. I walked away with information to share and ways I can make a difference. Thank you to Mrs. Kriston for a thorough and up-to-date training! Erin O'Connell, School Psychologist

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I thought it was amazing that FASDs are one type of disability that we know how to prevent. For all of the disabilities we have studied in this class, not one of them has had a known prevention or cure except for FASDs. I feel like this topic should be presented at colleges more often, because I feel like this information is not common knowledge to many young people, but it should be. For me personally, I definitely walked away from the presentation with some new knowledge.

Anonymous, UIniversity of Pittsburgh Johnstown Student

Testimonials

"I have known Liz for about 8 years now. We met when she came to my house for speech therapy lessons for my 2 year old twins who both have autism. She showed patience, kindness and knowledge. She helped navigate this family along the path of raising children with autism. Since the boys home therapy ended, Liz and I have stayed in contact. She remained a person I contacted with questions and has since become a friend. I purchased the books she wrote for my boys. As a reading specialist in an elementary school, I kept her skills in mind. I recommended her to the librarian as a guest speaker for the entire elementary school. She was very well received. Most recently, she brought her skills and knowledge to my school as a presenter for parents, teaching about literacy skills that parents could use at home. It was also a success. Liz has been a wonderful resource, both in my personal and professional career."

~Karalyn S Arotin

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We were thrilled to host Liz at Highland Community Library for a story time program. She was able to model reading behaviors that our parents were able to apply. Our toddlers were captivated both by the story and by Liz's storytelling. Her program was a perfect match for our early literacy focus.

~Ashley Flynn, Librarian

In your class titled: Children's Books as Therapy Tools in Early Literacy, your audience felt your course content was relevant and complete. They commented that you did an exemplary job of presenting in an engaging and enthusiastic manner.

Your attendees also had these specific comments to share with you about this course:

This class contained all of the content advertised and was presented as well as I had expected!

We thank you again for your participation, we wish you the very best for your future speaking engagements and we hope to see you at a future OSLHA Convention!

Chelsea Bailey

Association Manager

Ohio Speech-Language-Hearing Association

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Becoming an Author presentation feedback

Presented to fourth grade students in May 2016

"Very interesting! The kids seem to really enjoy it! Some kids even started to write after the assembly!"

~Anonymous, Fourth Grade Teacher

“I thought the presentation was very informative and paced just right for fourth graders. I enjoyed learning about your personal story and motivation in becoming an author.”

~Rae Welling, Fourth grade Teacher

Liz has come to read to my class several times over the last few years. Her visits are always greatly anticipated! After her first visit, several teachers asked if she could also do a visit with their classes. She is so good with the children and talks to them on their level!! She has motivated my students to become better readers and writers! The children are so excited to meet a real author, especially one that has written books that we have read and are classroom favorites!

~ Deborah Loevlie, 2nd Grde Teacher

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Liz Kriston, an author, a presenter, a teacher, and a speech therapist; her skills and knowledge can be defined through the strategies she uses to present information to her audiences. When reading to children, she gives vivid examples to engage young minds through vocabulary which are reinforced with pictures, predictable texts engaging story lines. For her adult audiences she gives strategies on how to use details, to invite friendly questions and encourage critical thinking. These wonderful story lines and silly rhymes are part of her clever engagement of both her adult and child audiences.

~Joyce Black, Cambria County Early Intervention Coordinator

Shop for Merch

Many products and designs to choose

Elizabeth Redhead Kriston (you can call her Liz) wears many hats. A mom to two special young women each with unique strengths and needs has led her on a life's journey full of surprises, challenges, and joys. With the support of her husband and extended family, Liz has taken on and accomplished many unexpected roles. With her Master's in Science, she has spent nearly 25 years working as a licensed and ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologist. This career led her to become a published author of both fiction and non-fiction works. Her writing prompted her public speaking and she has presented at the local, state, and national levels discussing topics such as Early Intervention, Early Literacy, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Her popular children's books delight SLPs, teachers, and families. Her parenting journey led her to become an advocate and educator in the area of FASD. Liz incorporates laughing and learning into everything she does. Liz strives to help children grow up to be their best selves. When not working, you can find Liz in her banana-yellow kayak floating on a lake, reading, or walking around her small rural hometown with her rescue dogs.

About

lizredheadkriston@gmail.com

stories_r_everywhere

https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethRedheadKriston

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-kriston-673b8a202/

Contact Info

FASD Resources