Name: Donna Small
Occupation: Counselor organizing
“Taking Flight,” a therapy group for the caretakers of children who
have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
History: Adopted her nephew who
has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
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Taking Flight 
Meeting:
Where: Johnson
Conference room in the
A support group for
those families dealing with children that have problems related to Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome. All are welcome to join us. Beverages and sandwiches will be
provided. Also, there will be daycare
facilities for youngsters ages 1to 10.
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Taking Flight Meeting Thursday
Donna: (She is a counselor that works with families that deal with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome FAS, and Fetal Alcohol Effects FAE) Come on in, go get some refreshments and pull up a chair.
(A group of about 12 people gather the chairs around in a circle)
This is gonna be a relaxed meeting where we learn and talk about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) and all the problems associated with those. We will also learn about each other and our similar circumstances. Here, no one will be judged; we are here to better help our loved ones and we are here to listen to each other. We are here to laugh, and we are here to cry, then laugh again. Together we will learn better ways to help our young ones grow.
Donna: Let me tell you a little about myself. I am a
recovering alcoholic. I haven't had a drink for 14 years. I grew up
on the rez with my two brothers and one sister. Nine
years ago my sister passed on in an alcohol-related car accident. She was an
active alcoholic when her son was born. I adopted him as my own, and both of us
have struggled and have achieved much together dealing with his problems
related to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. But he is the light of my life, and
I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about. I have worked
here at the clinic for the last 4 years as an associate counselor, and I have
been a chemical dependency counselor for six years. Now I would like to focus mainly on working
with the caretakers of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects many of
whom are recovering alcoholics.
If you could all introduce yourselves.....
(An hour later during the meeting)
Herbert: My grandson Johnny is eight years old now, and his grandma Ida and I keep running into obstacles. We just don’t know how to handle him, never mind help him. We have had him since he was six; his mom couldn’t take care of herself, and she couldn’t take care of Johnny. We didn’t even understand what his problems were until last year. He came to us with many health problems. He has speech problems, and he has two heart murmurs. He always seems to be acting up. Ida and I just don’t understand what is going on in his head. His schoolteachers are also having trouble with him. His teachers look to us for answers, but we don’t have any so this is why we came here tonight. (The rest of the group nods their heads in agreement and makes mmm hmmm noises).
Myrna: My little girl walked home from school the other day. She took off during afternoon recess and walked 4 miles home on the busy road coming into town. When I found out, I asked her why, and she said that her classmates were teasin’ her real bad. She didn’t want to ride the bus home so she decided to walk home. Luckily, nothing happened to her, and my mom was home when she got there. The school is worried she will do it again, and they don’t want to be held responsible. Short of hiring a bodyguard I don’t know what else to do. Her classmates tease her so much because she doesn’t know how to socialize too good, and she is behind everyone in her class. She ends up hitting and biting them because her feelings get hurt so bad. The school won’t get her a personal teacher’s aid because she scores a 76 on the IQ test, so they said she couldn’t have FAS. I’m having trouble getting them to realize you can have FAS and not be considered mentally retarded. It makes me so angry. I know I did that to her, and it makes me mad at myself, but now that I am trying to help her, I don’t really know how. Then I get even more frustrated.
Donna: You’ve all brought up a lot of the things we have all thought about; issues we have all wrestled with. Changes are best made with baby steps. I have a couple of suggestions you could start out with. But one of the most important things is that the teachers and you have the same expectations for your children in the classroom as well as at home. This helps organize the adults so that the kids don’t get confused when they are expected to behave one way at school and another way at home. In order to do this you need to sit down with your kids’ teachers regularly. If you are not sure, I am willing to come in and sit with you and the teachers to come up with a plan of how best to work with your children. Or we can talk here about possible plans you and your families can make.
Meanwhile, I am really happy that so many of you were able to open up the way you did tonight. I have many pamphlets and informational packets on the other topics that you just spoke of. They are by the door so please take some before you leave. Well, its almost 9, and time for some of us to go pick up the children next door, but if any of you have questions and would like to speak with me I’m gonna be clearing up the food table before I leave. The next meeting is the same time, same place in two weeks. I look forward to seeing you all again.
Identifying Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effects
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
and/or Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) show up in a variety of ways.
Different people can show different signs. Some people demonstrate these signs
so that they are obvious, but in others they are less obvious. This is one reason why families and doctors
may miss that a child has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or that a child that shows
Fetal Alcohol Effects. Most often if a
child or adult shows physical characteristics as well as the mental
characteristics of FAS then they are considered to have Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome. Someone who doesn't show the physical characteristics but
instead shows the mental characteristics of alcohol during fetal development
then they are considered to have Fetal Alcohol Effects.
Physical Differences
These include: -a wider or longer "flatter" face in the cheek area.
-eyelids that fold over sharply at the corners of the eyes (epicanthal folds).
-an area between the nose and the lips that is long or without ridges (smooth philtrum).
-thin upper lip.
Other signs could be: -a wider or longer “flatter” face in the cheek area
-eyelids that fold over sharply at the corners of the eyes (epicanthal folds)
-an area between the nose and the lips that is long or without ridges (smooth philtrum).
-thin upper lip
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can show up in different ways; just because a child
exhibits one of these signs doesn’t mean that child can be labeled as
FAS. It is through a combination of
physical and mental signs that a doctor can then identify Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome. In children the physical signs will often become less apparent as
they grow into adulthood. The easiest time period for noticing the
physical characteristics of FAS is between the ages of 2 and 10.