An interesting discussion came about a couple weeks ago on the language and word choices used to describe people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder as well as the experience of having FASD. I asked Maggie if I could share her post which puts the debate into perspective. For me personally before I came to accept … Continue reading FASD Sufferers or FASD Superheroes
Over the last few months, the 99 Days to 9/9 FASDay series of infographics created in 2017 has been re-shared on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Some updates were made along the way, but for Days 82, 83 and 84 I changed the focus for 2018 (and continued to use these in 2019) when I came across … Continue reading FASD: Common Messaging
Today's tip is a great one, isn't it? It can be easy to focus on the negative and forget the small or big successes that do happen. What does the Looking After Each Other project have to say? The public understands that people with FASD have challenges. A continual focus on this creates a belief … Continue reading Day 26 of 99 Days to FASDay: Focus on the Positive; Let Your Red Shoes Rock
Did you know as of 2015 FASD is now a diagnostic term in Canada? And I found out in 2018 it is also the diagnostic term used in Australia! Click here for more information. France also uses FASD. The following is from the Asante Centre : Whereas the 2005 guideline identified fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) as an … Continue reading Canadian Diagnostic Categories
Continuing with the suggestions to change our language around FASD, Day 23 - 25 of 99 Days to FASDay focus on how to change the conversation when we talk about alcohol, away from the shame and blame. I don't know about you, but I'm 50/50 on these terms. I've likely used one or both of … Continue reading Days 23-25: Talking About Alcohol Use and Stamping Out Stigma
This suggestion is a real surprise to me. I know I've used "external brain" before in describing support required for person with FASD. What's the thinking behind removing "external brain" from FASD language? The term external brain was created many years ago to give people an understanding that someone with FASD may require coaching at … Continue reading Day 22 of 99 Days to FASDay: No More External Brains Please!
I am very excited about the information I will be sharing over the next 6 days of the 99 Days to FASDay countdown. Day 21 - 26 will focus on the words we use when talking about FASD, people with FASD and women who use alcohol during pregnancy. I found these suggestions in a Language … Continue reading Day 21 of 99 Days to FASDay: FASD Language Guide
