There are numerous misconceptions about our son’s disability. It’s not surprising, really. It’s been around since the beginning of time, I imagine. Well, since the beginning of time when women drank alcohol while pregnant. In fact, most of us know that our moms were encouraged to have a beer or even a shot of spirits while pregnant, as it was thought to be good for the baby. Many pregnant women are still encouraged to drink a glass of wine every now and again. So what on earth is the big deal if so many women have had apparently healthy babies? The big deal is, no amount of alcohol is safe and there is no way to know whether or not your baby will be, or has been, affected until it’s too late.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder was first diagnosed in the early 1970s as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which is now a spectrum disorder encompassing all of the disabilities caused by alcohol consumption in utero. Since 1973, much research has been done and warnings have been issued, but it is still difficult to obtain a correct diagnosis, making it one of the, if not the, most common yet undiagnosed or misdiagnosed disabilities today. The reality is that even a small amount of alcohol can cause tremendous damage.
In many ways , it’s a game of roulette. Mom drinks and alcohol enters her blood stream. Baby “drinks” and the same amount of alcohol enters his/her bloodstream. Mom metabolizes alcohol. Baby has no ability to metabolize alcohol. Mom’s brain is fully developed. Baby’s brain is developing every single day. So, on any given day that mom drinks, baby’s brain ceases developing in whatever area the brain was designed to develop that day. If mom drinks over the course of 3 days early in her pregnancy, when she will most likely have no idea she’s pregnant, baby may have facial features that reflect the disability. If not, baby will appear completely typical and no one will have a clue by looking at him/her the level of brain damage caused by mom having a drink.
This is our reality. Zeke has a hidden or invisible disability. He looks the same as any neuro-typical kid, so you would never guess he has permanent brain damage just by looking at him. In fact, on some days, you wouldn’t even guess it by his behavior. FASD is frustratingly tricky that way, making it extraordinarily difficult to explain Zeke to others. But he is worth explaining and so are all the other kids who have been affected by alcohol in utero. My husband’s article on Zeke does a great job of introducing the disability and how it affects our family:
This is an excellent chart that shows how FASD affects the brain in comparison to several other disabilities, including ADHD and ASD:
http://come-over.to/FAS/PDF/OverlappingCharacteristics.pdf
Finally, for those interested in further reading, here are a couple other resources that aren’t too technical in nature. There are many more great resources out there, including other websites and books; these are just my go to sites for research and information. If you’re an insomniac looking for something to put you to sleep, I can hook you up with some great scholarly articles that will do the job for you.
Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
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