Leveling the field

A school district in northwestern Canada is opening special classrooms for FASD-affected children. I was struck by this quote from the article:

. . . if you believe that every child should have an opportunity to feel good about themselves, see value in themselves, and leave our system with a diploma or with an opportunity to be an independent in the world, then we have a moral responsibility to level the field for everybody.”

Teachers and students can benefit from even simple awareness of the challenges of FASD. When teachers see lack of normal progress, it doesn’t mean they are doing a bad job or that the student isn’t trying. Child’s brains function differently.

Here’s a bit of information from the child's point of view. And this video offers more educational strategies.

Every child deserves to be seen in a positive light.

Out From Under the Rug

Yesterday there was an article in our local newspaper about how, years ago, doctors never said the word “cancer” because of the sigma. The same was true of schizophrenia. The stigma of mental illness continues, but the conversation is more open now. We are beginning to recognize that mental illness touches many lives, and people are hungry for information.

The story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is similar. Most people know very little about FASD, although it affects at least five in one hundred children born today.

And the difficulty of getting a diagnosis is shameful. A doctor would never say, “Looks like pneumonia,” and leave it at that. Although there is not a cure for FASD, there are behavioral and academic approaches that can make a difference.

Children and families affected by FASD can now join online forums for support and information. But we must actively teach about FASD and disseminate information to all.

Not only will this help prevent more cases, but will provide support for those already affected. FASD is a potentially life-threatening condition. We cannot afford to sweep it under the rug. 

The Face of Optimism

Ann Streissguth, leading FASD researcher at the University of Washington.

Dr. Streissguth has been involved in the study of fetal alcohol brain damage since 1972 and was on the team that first identified fetal alcohol syndrome in the scientific literature forty years ago.

Not only does she pursue groundbreaking research but also runs a treatment clinic for children and adolescents affected by FASD.

There, clients may work on practical skills, such as controlling the urge to shoplift—“Hands in your pockets, girls!”

The clinic supports families with counseling services and guidance to help prevent secondary disabilities.

Dr. Streissguth has received many awards for her research and compassionate service.

Ann Streissguth is one of many researchers around the world working on FASD--a topic whose time has come!

Korsakoff's Syndrome

Sandy and my mother had a close bond. Don't laugh about the possibility of olfactory attraction. Both had been immersed in alcohol.

I was glad my mother delighted in Sandy. I was glad she formed a bond with anyone at all.

Her dementia seemed to begin suddenly. Or perhaps I hadn't been paying attention.

She announced that she’d seen Sam, then three, in a yarmulke, walking down the street with her doctor. She was convinced this was real.

Her brain is shrinking, they told us when she was hospitalized with seizures. Had she tried to quit drinking?

Maybe she’d been inspired by her positive thinking pamphlets. I had to honor her intent. But it was too dangerous to go through withdrawal at home.

But she had little success staying sober. And within five years she was almost completely psychotic.

Korsakoff's syndrome: fallout from thiamine deficiency after years of heavy drinking.

My mother died at age sixty-eight. Today would have been her ninetieth birthday.