This is so ridiculous.

Women until the 1970s drank regularly throughout their pregnancies. Yet myself nor any of my friends have FAS ... or autism for that matter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FASD label helps if it is the appropriate label, just like any other label. However, most of those kids are probably labeled ASD as a huge marker is the physical markers and not all kids have that.

I wonder what the impact of paternal drug and alcohol use is. There are studies and a huge push with maternal drug use but what about long term paternal use?

Did you read what the special ed teacher wrote? The core symptom of ASD is rigidity and difficulty reading social cues. If a kid with FASD only gets labeled as autistic, it's a crappy diagnosis.

I've professionally worked with kids with FASD and taken them to their medical appointments. It is far more than what the teacher is saying. But, that had nothing to do with my comment. No one talks about the impact of sperm from drugs, alcohol, diet and environmental factors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FASD label helps if it is the appropriate label, just like any other label. However, most of those kids are probably labeled ASD as a huge marker is the physical markers and not all kids have that.

I wonder what the impact of paternal drug and alcohol use is. There are studies and a huge push with maternal drug use but what about long term paternal use?

Did you read what the special ed teacher wrote? The core symptom of ASD is rigidity and difficulty reading social cues. If a kid with FASD only gets labeled as autistic, it's a crappy diagnosis.

I'm the special ed teacher. It's weird that you quote me as an expert, when in the same post, I talked about how I think this diagnosis can hurt kids.

I don't think that most kids with FASD would be well served under an ASD label, because they don't have the core symptoms of ASD. I do think that most kids with FASD are better served under a label like ADHD, learning disabilities, ID, etc . . . depending on how their symptoms present. I have had kids in my class who have made lots of progress, sent them off to the next teacher only to have that teacher tell me "Oh, he can't learn anything, he has FASD, I'm going to concentrate on the ones I can help."

For school purposes, maybe not but for private therapies, the ASD diagnosis is golden and many insurances will pay for ST, OT, PT and ABA. Most families cannot afford that all without insurance. Either way, either a teacher wants to help or doesn't. If they don't, it doesn't matter what the diagnosis is.

Yes, but if a kid doesn't meet the criteria for ASD (and most FASD kids don't at all, it doesn't come close), then an ASD diagnosis won't serve them well, as it will lead to the wrong interventions.

If a kid has ASD and FASD, which of course can happen but is really two separate disorders because FASD doesn't cause ASD or vice versa, then yes, I agree an ASD label would serve them better than an FASD label.

It's like saying "Blind people get better services than people who have ADHD, so I'm going to have my ADHD kid relabeled". There might be some truth in the first part, but there's none in the second part. Because braille instruction and orientation/mobility don't help ADHD kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FASD label helps if it is the appropriate label, just like any other label. However, most of those kids are probably labeled ASD as a huge marker is the physical markers and not all kids have that.

I wonder what the impact of paternal drug and alcohol use is. There are studies and a huge push with maternal drug use but what about long term paternal use?

Did you read what the special ed teacher wrote? The core symptom of ASD is rigidity and difficulty reading social cues. If a kid with FASD only gets labeled as autistic, it's a crappy diagnosis.

I'm the special ed teacher. It's weird that you quote me as an expert, when in the same post, I talked about how I think this diagnosis can hurt kids.

I don't think that most kids with FASD would be well served under an ASD label, because they don't have the core symptoms of ASD. I do think that most kids with FASD are better served under a label like ADHD, learning disabilities, ID, etc . . . depending on how their symptoms present. I have had kids in my class who have made lots of progress, sent them off to the next teacher only to have that teacher tell me "Oh, he can't learn anything, he has FASD, I'm going to concentrate on the ones I can help."

For school purposes, maybe not but for private therapies, the ASD diagnosis is golden and many insurances will pay for ST, OT, PT and ABA. Most families cannot afford that all without insurance. Either way, either a teacher wants to help or doesn't. If they don't, it doesn't matter what the diagnosis is.

Anonymous wrote:I had two drinks at 4 weeks before knowing. Could it be FAS?

Are you asking if it is even the most remotely possible that it could be, or if it is reasonably likely to be?

I had two drinks at 4 weeks before knowing. Could it be FAS?

Anonymous wrote:

By all means. I would be happy to read it.

Since different providers are unable to distinguish ASD from ADHD (and previously they were exclusive diagnoses but no longer), I didn't know that it was easy to diagnose FAS in the absence of maternal history.

I'll be happy to post it when I get free time (I am in the middle of moving).

But first -- you do realize that not being able to make the diagnosis of FASD does not mean that you automatically make the diagnosis of ADHD and/or ASD, right? There are international standardized criteria for making the diagnosis of FASD without verification by the mother of her drinking. However, if that diagnosis cannot be made, sometimes there is no diagnosis that can be made -- i.e., if the child doesn't fit the criteria for other diagnoses. I am not trying to be a jerk, just trying to understand where you are coming from.

The DSM-IV defined ADHD and ASD as mutually exclusive diagnoses, but that was published 25 years ago. A lot has changed in our understanding of childhood developmental and mental health disorders over that quarter century.

I still don't see why acknowledging the presence of comorbidities makes the misdiagnosis of FASD as ASD and/or ADHD *more* likely. It seems the opposite would be true.

I am 7 months pregnant and worry about this a lot. I didn't know I was pregnant until 8 weeks since I didn't miss a period until then, my 8 week dating ultrasound said I was 12 weeks along. I don't drink heavily, only .5-1 drink at a time with my husband, but i am afraid that one drink could have hit at the worst possible developmental moment. I guess we will see.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That chart is not fully accurate.

That was my thought. I don't have much experience with FAS, I only knew some kids when I was a child. I know first-hand (or second hand, I suppose) about ASD, ADHD, SPD.

And that chart is wrong, unhelpful.

Okay. Would you like to talk about the actual research about distinguishing between ADHD, ASD, and FASD (even if they overlap)?

And by that I mean, "does the actual research matter, or is it irrelevant to the discussion?" Honest question. I can dig things up, but no point if it isn't what you want to talk about.

By all means. I would be happy to read it.

Since different providers are unable to distinguish ASD from ADHD (and previously they were exclusive diagnoses but no longer), I didn't know that it was easy to diagnose FAS in the absence of maternal history.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FASD label helps if it is the appropriate label, just like any other label. However, most of those kids are probably labeled ASD as a huge marker is the physical markers and not all kids have that.

I wonder what the impact of paternal drug and alcohol use is. There are studies and a huge push with maternal drug use but what about long term paternal use?

Did you read what the special ed teacher wrote? The core symptom of ASD is rigidity and difficulty reading social cues. If a kid with FASD only gets labeled as autistic, it's a crappy diagnosis.

I'm the special ed teacher. It's weird that you quote me as an expert, when in the same post, I talked about how I think this diagnosis can hurt kids.

I don't think that most kids with FASD would be well served under an ASD label, because they don't have the core symptoms of ASD. I do think that most kids with FASD are better served under a label like ADHD, learning disabilities, ID, etc . . . depending on how their symptoms present. I have had kids in my class who have made lots of progress, sent them off to the next teacher only to have that teacher tell me "Oh, he can't learn anything, he has FASD, I'm going to concentrate on the ones I can help."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That chart is not fully accurate.

That was my thought. I don't have much experience with FAS, I only knew some kids when I was a child. I know first-hand (or second hand, I suppose) about ASD, ADHD, SPD.

And that chart is wrong, unhelpful.

Okay. Would you like to talk about the actual research about distinguishing between ADHD, ASD, and FASD (even if they overlap)?

And by that I mean, "does the actual research matter, or is it irrelevant to the discussion?" Honest question. I can dig things up, but no point if it isn't what you want to talk about.

Anonymous wrote:FASD label helps if it is the appropriate label, just like any other label. However, most of those kids are probably labeled ASD as a huge marker is the physical markers and not all kids have that.

I wonder what the impact of paternal drug and alcohol use is. There are studies and a huge push with maternal drug use but what about long term paternal use?

Did you read what the special ed teacher wrote? The core symptom of ASD is rigidity and difficulty reading social cues. If a kid with FASD only gets labeled as autistic, it's a crappy diagnosis.

Anonymous wrote:That chart is not fully accurate.

That was my thought. I don't have much experience with FAS, I only knew some kids when I was a child. I know first-hand (or second hand, I suppose) about ASD, ADHD, SPD.

And that chart is wrong, unhelpful.

Pp whose doc said 8 weeks— just to clarify here— I drank two drinks while TTC and deeply regretted it. I don’t think it’s safe to drink while pregnant. I think moms who report moderate drinking are very likely under reporting. I still feel badly for fasd mom, very high price to pay for binge drinking which is very normalized in our culture

Anonymous wrote:FASD label helps if it is the appropriate label, just like any other label. However, most of those kids are probably labeled ASD as a huge marker is the physical markers and not all kids have that.

I wonder what the impact of paternal drug and alcohol use is. There are studies and a huge push with maternal drug use but what about long term paternal use?

What does it help? That question has been asked numerous times with no answer.