FASD in bio kids....
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Anonymous
| I am an adoptive mom to three kids with different levels of in utero alcohol exposure and they are all affected in different ways (the one with the least amount of exposure is affected most). We have a FASD diagnosis for two of them. Many of my fellow adoptive parents also have a FAS/FASD/ARND diagnosis for their children. I also know quite a few bio moms of kids with a host of challenging behaviors, yet all of them either get an ASD, anxiety, or ADHD diagnosis. Do doctors not diagnose FASD in kids that live with their bio parents in order to not offend them? Do you bio parents ever wonder if your child's behavior and challenges could be due to alcohol? And I am not judging. I think most people probably drink before they realize they are pregnant. |
Anonymous
| Doctors do, but remember diagnosis is a checklist with visual and other cues so if the visual appearance is not there, often FASD is overlooked. Its very possible. I don't think its the before they were pregnant if you know before 6 weeks but the ongoing throughout the pregnancy. But, some kids are more impacted than others. I've worked with kids where one twin was more impacted than the other. I think most doctors don't know about it and there is no good way to diagnose. |
Anonymous
| I do wonder. I didn't find out until 4-5 weeks pregnant. I have not pursued it, because how on earth would it help either of us? We are already doing all the therapy, testing, etc. I think it would hurt rather than help my child, as there are such negative attributions to the child for the diagnosis, like presumed ODD, violence, etc. |
Anonymous
Um, are you diagnosing other people's children with FASD without actually being a professional? A) Stop, and b) Of course you're judging. Stop. |
Anonymous
|
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/health/pregnancy-drinking-fetal-alcohol.html
There was this study about how widespread it is. FASD is difficult to diagnose, especially in little kids. The facial features do not always show strongly, and some kids may be more or less affected by the same amount of drinking (interestingly, even if they are twins). I do think it is hard for doctors to argue persuasively for FASD if the parent argues that it is ASD or ADHD, because there is so much overlap of symptoms. Absent physical features I am not sure what kind of rationale would support the diagnosis. |
Anonymous
| Out of curiosity, how do you know the level of exposure of your adopted kids? |
Anonymous
Another adoptive parent of FASD kids. I think this. Reason being is that you have to give an honest history of alcohol use to get the diagnosis. I think bio parents can’t admit that they could be the cause so the minimize their prenatal alcohol use history. The denial factor is huge. Just read this board where so many people will tell you it’s fine to drink in moderation. I also think that people believe you can see FASD at birth so it doesn't even cross their mind when at 12 their kids have problems. Another defense mechanism and rewriting history. I think doctors may or may not be complicit - hard to tell if accurate alcohol use history is not provided. You are going to get hugely slammed for this post as am I for the response. Then you’ll get why the level of diagnosis is so small. |
Anonymous
| No, because I know that there's no actual science supporting the idea that very light drinking causes autism. And my child's issues are clearly genetic in that they are features that are apparent in 1st degree family members. But thanks for asking, always fun to blame the mom! |
Anonymous
|
All the very good points above aside, can you not think of reasons which would make children who were (most likely) taken away from their parents more likely to have been exposed to alcohol in utero, and those who were not removed by the state somehow less likely to have been exposed that way?
Anything strike you as a possible reason for that correlation? |
Anonymous
You don't "argue persuasively" for a developmental diagnosis when there is no support for it, or if another dx fits better. Unless you're looking for a way to blame the mother. If the mother admits to heavy drinking and there are clear signs - sure, it is something to consider. But for a pediatrician to try to claim that the 1oz of wine I drank in my 1st trimester caused my son's autism? Totally wrong. |
Anonymous
Of course you are. Of course a person judges someone who drank enough to cause FASD in their kids. I don't know where the line between drinking in moderation/drinking enough to cause FASD is, but I'd judge the hell out of someone who crossed it. How can you not? |
Anonymous
| Drinking before you know you are pregnant doesn't cause FASD, OP (unless you don't know until you are like, 6 months along). |
Anonymous
"There's this thing that's a diagnosis that is not even in the DSM that you can't even tell how much alcohol needs to be drunk and can affect kids totally differently and there's a much better diagnosis that fits your kid ... therefore, you must be in denial!" |
Anonymous
I mean, on what grounds could a doctor say "Yes, these are also indications of ADHD and autism, but I am diagnosing FASD because of _____." I am not sure what would fill that blank other than physical features or evidence or disclosure of drinking. Maybe someone else knows. |
Anonymous
My child has FAS, I did not know until 7 weeks. I was assured it was too early to cause it. I suppose you can judge me. |