Advertisements
So I've done some reading, but honestly, everything is melting in my brain right now (too much medical terminology, not enough "X and Y happen, here's how to deal with it in your kid"). Can someone explain to me the difference between FAS, pFAS and ARND and the behaviors that come with? I already know that FAS can be challenging with the poor impulse control/reasoning skills being the big ones but I can't find any really good information about pFAS, ARND, ARBD, or FAE. Which are easier to deal with, which are more difficult, what sort of skillset do you need to effectively parent kids with these diagnosises? Are they really that different from each other? I just want to make sure that we don't set ourselves up for more than we can handle.
Like
Share
Advertisements
the big difference between FAS and FAE (over simplifying on purpose) is the facial features the rest of the alphabet soup are attempts to characterize what can happen with FASD. Honestly, other than the face, there's no way to tell at birth whether a kid is pfas, fas, or fae. all they can tell you is where the child is at that point in time. some things can improve on their own.. some things you can work through.. and some get worse as the kid ages The hardest part of the disorder is not knowing what you're going to get. Your child can lack the typical facial features, but be worse off with impulse control than the child who has the FAS-face ARND refers the the possible neurological issues. in my DD's case, that meant she had a tough time coordinating walking. When she could finally run (at 4 years old), the family was ecstatic ... She will be 10 in 2 weeks and shows no remaining neurological issues When my DD was 7, it appeared that she was plateauing with her ability to understand mathematical concepts. After a lot of extra work (repetition, extra tutoring) we were thrilled that she is testing above average (up from the 20th percentile) We just got back from the 10 day vacation with her BB; he is 13. He was never taken into foster care and has not received the extra help he should have received. I was shocked to note how much my DD has surpassed him. Same amount of alcohol, same mom - different results. While he always had issues with anger and social interactions, the logic issues are only know becoming blatant. I mean seriously.. what 13 year old is incapable of buying a bottle of water??? We've been very lucky with our DD. But we're not out of the clear yet. Thats what makes FASD heart breaking imo
Thank you for that! That's along the lines of what I was expecting, but hearing it from someone who lives it, its reassuring. We said no to FASD, but I know the unknowns, and after doing tons of reading in this forum, I feel a little less scared now. Granted, we know that anything above moderate is out of our zone, but since we are planning for younger kids so still lots of uncertainty....
Advertisements
Thanks for the positive story. Its important that there are as many positive stories as there are doom and gloom, "broken cord" stories In the interest of fairness, I would add a couple points - 1) every FAS situation is different. Just because one person succeeds (or fails) doesn't mean the same will happen to your child 2) I agree with the author's AM.. treating a child a normal (whenever possible) seems to be the way to go (at least for us, thus far. my DD was diagnosed FAS at birth. she's not 10 and doing great). but again, every case is different). 3) While I'm certain having a reason for her behavior (impulsiveness, quick temper) is reassuring and helps one feel less bad about themselves, the diagnosis is not necessary to treat the symptoms (especially as an adult. I, too, am impulsive and quick tempered. No diagnosis of FAS, but therapy helped me learn how to handle both these traits. i guess what I'm say - even without the diagnosis (which can be elusive to adoptees in closed adoptions), there's still hope