Friday, July 29, 2011

Why another blog? Why FASD?

So here I am, beginning a new blog. This time around, a bit more anonymous to protect my children, yet nonetheless honest, because, well, to put it bluntly, FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) is not pretty and it's time the world know.

You may or may not agree with the views I express on this blog. These are the views of me, an educated, smart, loving, intelligent woman who has: one, lived with FASD; two, read unending books, articles, interviews and medical studies about FASD; three, attended as many conferences regarding FASD as I can; and, four, continues to seek to educate myself and the world on FASD. 

FASD is NOT curable. It is lifelong. It is debilitating in a 101 ways as you will begin to see as you follow my blog.

FASD is preventable. 100% preventable.  Do not drink while you are pregnant. Ever. Do not drink while there is a chance you may become pregnant.

Never heard of FASD.  Here are some staggering statistics: Fetal Alcohol, according to the CDC, affects more than 1 in 100 live births. And it is more prevalent than Autism.

Yet you don't hear about it because diagnosising it in a child means put a label, a stigmatism, on a parent. And in this politically correct world, God forbid we tell another person they made a mistake and now they need to do something about it!  Thus, while I admire Jenny McCarthy for being so vocal about Austism and bringing awareness to Hollywood and the world....thus, you will not find many parents who are willing to admit they made a mistake, they drank while being pregnant, and now their child suffers from FASD. 

In my years of living with and learning about FASD I find it coincidental that children living with a birth parent are diagnoised with ADHD. While children living with a foster and/or adoptive parent are diagnoised with FASD.

This doesn't anger me as much as it saddens me. Because FASD cannot be cured or treated with medications like some ADHD can be. And how often has a child with ADHD been medicated, but not provide any other training.  FASD is all about routine, repetivtive training, calm surroundings, and patience. 

Kids with FASD are not bad people. They are people who need an extra measure of grace. They are people with invisible disabilities. They are people with missing and/or damaged brain cells because alcohol was consumed with they were in their mothers womb.

I hope you will follow along and choose to educate yourself about FASD. One-in-100 is a staggering number. There are many people out there who need your compassion and mentoring.

We CAN change the world. Start today. Zero alcohol for nine months. 0-for-9.