There are many adoptive children diagnosed everyday with disorders like PDD, autism, ADHD, ADD, FAS, OCD, PTSD, etc. I could go on forever and list a myriad of alphabet soup. But many parents have no idea what some of the acronyms mean when their children receive the diagnoses.
Because of AJ’s issues I have done a lot of research on autism, institutional autism and PDD but what exactly are PDD’s, or Pervasive Developmental Disorders? And, what is it when it is Not Otherwise Specified PDD-NOS?
Pervasive Development Disorders actually refer to the group of disorders characterized by delays in socialization and communication.The …read more

Now, it is safe to say that my opinion on this one is none but the verdict is still (unfortunately) out on this. The facts are that most Fetal Alcohol Children have birth mothers who are alcoholics (who drank at least 8-10 drinks a day) and that children with Fetal Alcohol Effects had birth mothers who probably drank 4-6 drinks a day and so forth on down the line.
However, where does ARND fit in? What happens to kids who are throroughly affected but their birth mother only drank 1-2 drinks a day?

Science is not always right.
Alcohol is always capable of …read more

Unfortunately, the brain is the one organ that is most affect by alcohol. Surprisingly though, many pregnant woman do not know this nor do they understand what damage they can do to their unborn child.
Alcohol damages parts of the brain that give us memory, self-control, coordination, and judgment (thus, cause/effect and consequences). Most children with FAS have problems with learning, attention spans, behavior, and fine motor skills because of this.

I spoke to one of my readers via email and she stated that she would LOVE some information on how to make her classroom more special needs friendly even through she has a regular education classroom.
I also thought that some of you would love some information for your children’s teachers…I know that finding information on FAS is difficult. Please print out some of these great resources to help your kids.
Classroom Strategies

Meet with parents, the student and professionals in the community to determine individual needs of the student.

A child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is much like that of an intoxicated person.

Unfortunately, our struggles this summer have not been just focused on the dog or the cat. I have also been struggling with AJ and at this point I am at a loss…I just don’t know how to discipline him, redirect him, or even deal with him. I absolutely hate to say it but some days my patience is very thin.
Living with a child with special needs like AJ means living with a child who has no cause and effect, no conscience, no sense of consequence. He also has no short term memory, has the attention span of a gnat, and …read more

When it comes to raising a child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or ARND, my perception and my way of thinking often has to change. For example, when he repeatedly does the same things I NEED to understand that it is not him trying to make me angry to him being malicious but sometimes he does not understand, sometimes he can’t link the cause and effect and sometimes he just can’t remember that the is not supposed to do that particular thing.
A perfect example of this is AJ’s constant need to throw things into the air. We tend to think that …read more

Alcohol is the cause of mental retardation in children in the United States and it is completely preventable.
Unfortunately, there is NO cure for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
However, children with FAS can be given good medical care.

FAS is the LEADING cause of developmental disabilities in the United States and as many as two in every 1000 children have fetal alcohol effects and as many as 40,000 babies a year are born with alcohol related damage.
So, what are they signs and symptoms? Well, there are so many that it is impossible to list them all. Why? Because alcohol affects so MANY different parts of the fetus when a woman drinks.

I have had many requests from readers and friends to address the topic of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome more in depth.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the most clinically recognized form of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. It is typically characterized by facial features, prenatal and postnatal growth retardation, and central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities.