Fathers

Happy Father's Day, dads--I hope you know how important you are! Not only is your emotional support vital to the growth and development of your children, it turns out that avoiding alcohol and exposure to other toxins is, too. Fathers do not directly cause FASD, but alcohol use can damage sperm, resulting in learning disabilities and hyperactivity in children.

Thanks and much love, Ron (pictured above with Molly), for being such a great partner and dad these past remarkable thirty-five years.

Share Your FASD Story

Eileen Bisgard, executive director of NOFAS in Colorado and juvenile court attorney, shares her personal story. To tell your FASD story, email information@nofas.org.

Words

This recent Radio Lab episode reminded us so much of Sandy. When she came to us at age two-and-a-half, the social worker told us she had a speech delay.

In those first months we delighted in her learning words and stringing them together. She gravitated toward nouns. When she formed crude sentences, they always led.

Then after being with us for three months, Sandy shocked us by crying, “Sandy my name, Sandy my name,” over and over, clapping herself on the chest. For hours.

We’d assumed she'd known her name. She seemed to respond to it.

How had we not known? Was it a dawning concept of self? What was her mindset before?

And how do we step outside our most basic assumptions?

Native American Youth

In 1973, the year FASD was officially identified by the scientific community, I was a VISTA volunteer on a Paiute and Shoshone Indian reservation in Nevada.

The area was remote, with a town of 200 people and nearby reservation of similar size. There was a tiny grocery store, gas station/motel, and several bars. I worked in the K-12 school as an education aide to help Native American youth succeed in school and go on to college. Students were a mix of children from the rancher-controlled town and the large reservation.

Sometimes you would see children waiting in cars parked in front of the bars. Now looking back, I see the faces of FASD. 

Many reservation families did their best to provide positive cultural connections and dreams for the future. One of my fondest memories was pow wows, with elders beating traditional drums for circle dances that lasted hours. Parents taught their children beading on soft-skinned moccasins, gloves, and traditional cradleboards. Many drew on Native American wisdom for their strength.

Pictured above is  Morgan Fawcett, a young Native American from Alaska affected by FASD. This link describes his background, his work and foundation.  Despite the challenges, he is using his talents to make a difference.

 

Youth Advocates for FSD Awareness

Here's a wonderful teen action project taking place in southern Colorado!

Mother's Day

Thank you to my children for the privilege of being entrusted with your lives 

in the joyous, humbling, and transformative experience of motherhood.

The First International Conference on FASD is being held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada September 23-25, 2013. This conference will be of interest to:

•     Government officials

•     Policymakers in health, education, justice, and social services

•     Researchers in the fields of FASD, alcohol addiction, social

      determinants of health, social sciences, and social marketing

•     Service providers and healthcare professionals including

       primary care physicians, obstetricians, and gynecologists

•     Indigenous organizations

•     Those affected by FASD, their families, and other caregivers

•     Students

•     Teachers and other educators

For more information click here.

Hope to see you there!