Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: The “Invisible Disability”, part 2.

In my previous blog, I shared some details and history about the epidemic of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, particularly among foster children.  But did you know that current research indicates that across the spectrum of all children under age 18 in the U.S. that the incidence is as high as one in 20 children?  You heard that correctly.  This means that in the average school classroom there’s at least one child who has been impacted by fetal alcohol in-utero.  Why is this number so high?  Recent, reliable data based on surveys has revealed that drinking alcohol by females during the recent Covid-19 pandemic increased by 40 percent.  Concurrently there was an upward spike in pregnancies during this period.  If you “do the math” you know where I’m headed here.

Traditional thinking has assumed that children diagnosed on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum were only exposed to large amounts of alcohol in-utero.  Not true.  It’s been reliably shown that mothers who just even have a glass of wine with dinner each evening are putting their unborn child at risk for cognitive and emotional problems.  Not intending to make birth mothers out to be criminals here, we must also understand that many women who just drink occasionally, may not even realize they’re pregnant until a few weeks into their pregnancy.  Technically, alcohol is called a teratogen, which in utero crosses the placenta, causing a teratogenic effect, leading to long-term, irreversible damage to a child’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills and emotional/behavioral management.  In short, alcohol in-utero poisons a pre-born baby’s brain.  Again, the long-term effects of this are irreversible.

Why is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder called the “Invisible Disability”?  As I mentioned in my prior blog, nearly 90 percent of children with FASD do not display any of the physical characteristics commonly associated with Fetal Alcohol exposure.  Many of these children are commonly diagnosed with ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and a variety of Learning Disabilities, even Autism.  This does not mean that these children don’t actually have these diagnoses, but in some cases, we are learning that in-utero exposure to alcohol is actually the cause of the child’s ADHD, Learning Disabilities and even Autistic-appearing behaviors.  Additionally, doctors sometimes shy away from talking with pregnant mothers who drink alcohol because they don’t want to stigmatize these moms. 

Here are some helpful strategies for parenting a child who is on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum:

• Provide as much STRUCTURE as you can for your child.  A daily, predictable routine helps your child to feel safe and lessens his/her stress.  Kids with FASD do not do well with “surprises” or variation in their daily routine.

• Be patient with your child.  Kids on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum often need to have daily life skills taught and reinforced to them repeatedly in order to learn them consistently.  As one dad shared with me, “Mark, I just feel like a broken record with my son.”  My response to him, was “Yes, that’s exactly what you need to be—don’t give up!.”

• In regard to digging in their heels with parental authority, I understand that “kids will be kids”, even children with FASD.  But with Fetal Alcohol children, we must always think “brain before behavior.”  What we as parents often assume is a behavioral “won’t” from our child, is often a brain-based “can’t.” 

• Keep your expectations of your child clear and brief.

• Do not take your child’s behavior personally!  The immature, oppositional or defiant behavior he is displaying is a only a symptom of the real problem—that his brain has been damaged by alcohol exposure even before he was born. 

More helpful information to come in my next installment . . .