Children living with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) tend to be cheerful, friendly, and like social interaction.
Nonetheless, caring for them can have its difficulties because they also tend to have learning and behavioral disabilities that carry on throughout their lives.
Ways to reduce the effects of this syndrome:
- Ensure their home environment is stable, nurturing, and safe
- Utilize early intervention services and support from their school
- Ask their doctor or care team members for assistance
Suggestions for dealing with behavioral problems:
- Be aware of the child’s strengths and limitations
- Enforce daily routines, as well as simple rules and boundaries
- Use specific language to keep things simple
- Reinforce learning through repetition
- Praise acceptable behaviour by acknowledging and rewarding it
- Teach techniques for social interactions and daily living
Parents and caregivers of children with FAS should also be sure to take care of themselves by seeking support groups and counselors. Additionally, they should seek professional help if they are continuing to struggle with their alcohol addiction. See What Addiction Services Should Know for more information.
It is important that parents understand the nature of the condition, the prognosis, and any support and services available to them. They generally encounter the same challenges as parents of other disabilities; however, they have some additional experiences to deal with. This is because of the lack of understanding and acknowledgment of this disorder, as well as the unavailability of proper support. See What Parents Should Know for more information.
The major challenges that parents face with their children that have FAS include behavioral, cognitive, and social and emotional adversities.
The negative effects of FAS can be enhanced when the child is placed in foster care, which happens to many of these children due to the fact that their biological family has a history of drug and alcohol abuse or mental illness. This causes emotional stress to the child on top of the teratogenic assault they have already experienced by being born with this disorder.
Secondary Disabilities
Individuals with FAS have the potential to develop secondary disabilities later on if life. Examples include:
- Mental health problems (ie. depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder)
- Disrupting or dropping out of school
- Getting into trouble with the law
- Continuous unemployment
- Problems with drugs or alcohol
- Homelessness
Even with their disabilities, individuals with FAS have many positive qualities and are able to have happy and prosperous lives.
Factors that protect the child from risk of secondary disabilities later in life:
- Early diagnosis
- Early intervention
- Efficacious management plan to have on-going support
- Home that is nurturing and stable
Sources
Dealing with Behavioural Problems