The maiden and I went on a little road trip last week to pick up some rain gutters someone was giving away. I asked her to come along as I was going to have to the hatch open on the back of the car, with them hanging out, and I just wanted her to hang … Continue reading Connecting with Gutters
What a day September 9th - International FASD Awareness Day - was! While there is no possible way to report on everything, these are a few examples seen on social media of how the day was recognized.
by R.J. Formanek It's (almost) Wednesday, so it must be Wisdom Wednesday by R.J. He seems to write something at just about the right time. We are in the homestretch of the 99 Days to FASDay journey we started on June 1 with Day 1: 99 Days to FASDay: First Published Study Linking Prenatal Alcohol … Continue reading FASD: Reflections on Perspective and Empathy
I am not talking about what the acronym FASD means or even how it is caused, but going deeper into what it really means for Society. Most people see it as an alcohol and pregnancy issue - but it really goes beyond that. The Canada FASD Research Network released their 2020 FASD Awareness Month Toolkit … Continue reading What is FASD?
I found this Nelson Mandela quote from 1997. The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children. A year before my daughter was born. In her 22 years of life we still have quite a ways to go but even more so for people with disabilities. Many are still discriminated against, … Continue reading Mid-life Advocacy Crisis or Dark Night of the Soul
According to Understanding the Occurrence of Secondary Disabilities with FAS and FAE Final Report (1996) 60% of students with FASD aged 12 or older have had a disrupted school experience. Despite 14 years since its release there are still educators and the system who do not understand FASD.
I recently saw the graphic below, of a sloth riding on a turtle’s back, saying “too fast”. I was going to share it on my Facebook page, with a short comment about how we may need to slow down in order to accommodate an individual with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Either in what we say, how … Continue reading FASD: Lessons in Processing Speed from the Turtle, Sloth and Snail
Written By R.J. Formanek - FASD Educator, Speaker Red Shoes Rock and Flying With Broken Wings Living on the FASD spectrum is much akin to the difference between a standard and an automatic transmission in vehicles. They both do basically the same thing, but each has to be considered, understood and operated differently. Yet you … Continue reading FASD: Presumption of Competence
According to Merriam-Webster: Definition of self-regulation the act or condition or an instance of regulating oneself or itself: such as; Self Regulation: the bringing of oneself or itself into a state of order, method, or uniformity emotional self-regulation. We know individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder often struggle with self-regulation, which can lead to many … Continue reading Self Regulation in FASD and me
As all the posts were appearing today, I couldn’t help but reflect on FASD and the continuing stigma and misunderstanding that not only my daughter faces but women caregivers and birth moms. There were posts that said women deserve to be recognized every day. Yes they do. But I also think having different ways to … Continue reading International Women’s Day and FASD
