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My youngest AD was exposed to a large amount of alcohol in-utero (along with some crack). My biggest concern was the alcohol. She didn't have facial features for FAS but she was very tiny for her age. She did not have any issues at all for years. She grew (although she remained in the 5th percentile). She has above average intelligence. She's very compassionate. She very flexible and athletic (gymnastics superstar). She's very kind and compassionate. She's the top reader in her class and has lots of friends.The issues: This year (at age 9), she is struggling with focusing. Even if the teacher is working one-on-one with her, she struggles to pay attention. She's careless with work. She copies things down wrong and then she can't complete the assignment. Last year is when the problems with focusing really started but it was minor. She can concentrate on a book or a WII video game. She just gets distracted so easily. Would ADHD medicine help her the same way it would a typical child? I have an appt with a psychiatrist for an evaluation but I wanted to know if anyone has any experience with this. The other thing, she talks out loud to herself. It drives her sister crazy. I'm forever shushing her. It's like she never learned to keep the voice in her head. It doesn't bother me when she's playing with dolls and stuff but sometimes it's a running commentary and I'm worried how that will affect her socially if this continues. Before, she was 'little' so I didn't really get concerned but it's more noticeable now that she's 9. It's not affecting friendships and her social life at school. Still..I hope she figures out how to talk to herself in her head before it becomes a serious issue.Anyone have a child with FAE/FAS who can give advice? The teacher is really committed to H and wants her to do well. If there are strategies that would work, I would pass them along to her.I can't find anything online that deals with school age issues and FAE/FAS
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My son started having problems at roughly the same age. He went from honor roll to failing every single class. We did evaluations and found he did not have ADD or Autism but Executive Reasoning Malfunction. On same spectrum. Have you requested evaluation yet?
I'm sorry that I can't answer if the meds would be as effective with the FAS. I will be curious to see the answers though.
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Our pdoc said no, meds do not have the same effect on kids with neurological differences as kids with classic ADHD. He said 80% of kids with true ADHD respond to meds; his estimate for our kids was approximately 30% benefit IF they respond to meds with greater chance of side effects. That is his personal experience, and I have to say that has been very accurate for my son. It took several attempts to find a med he benefitted from, and even then, it only helps a small degree.
