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Developmental Overview of FAS/E through the eyes of parents.
Toddlers (1 - 5)
Children (6 - 11)
Adolescents (12 - 17)
Adults (18 and over)
Some of these characteristics may appear to be typical behaviour in a
normal person, but in individuals with FAS/E, these traits occur in grossly
exaggerated form and do not respond to typical treatment and interventions.
Parents report that their toddlers with FAS/E are:
- sometimes medically fragile
- usually high maintenance, keeping parent alert and on duty 24 hours a day
- often exhausted and irritable from uneven sleep patterns
- highly manipulative
- a danger to self and and others because they do not grasp the universal
laws of cause and effect
- deficient in the normal sequential learning abilities in reasoning,
judgement and memory
- lacking the normal abilities to distinguish between friend and enemy
- misunderstood by service providers if their IQ's appear to be developing
normally
Parents report that their children with FAS/E are:
- impulsive, unpredictable and mischievous, creating ongoing safety hazards,
such as setting fires and running away
- often exhausted and irritable from uneven sleep patterns
- innately skilled in manipulative tasks
- void of a normal sense of justice
- overlooked as permanently disabled if their IQ's are normal
- desperate for stimulation and excitement to keep entertained and happy
- emotionally volatile and often exhibit wide mood swings throughout the day
- often disconnected from their own feelings and are unable to identify or
express logical reasons behind their volatile outbursts
- isolated and lonely because the desire to be included remains intact while
the reasoning skill to figure out why they are excluded is lacking
- angry and resentful toward more structure and supervision than their peers
need
- void of natural empathy toward others
Parents report that their adolescents with FAS/E are:
- moral chameleons (Despite consistent loving care, family values and
general rules of social behavior are not being internalized.)
- often exhausted and irritable from uneven sleep patterns
- at high risk for being drawn into anti-social behavior: stealing, running
away, etc.
- continuing to be a safety menace to themselves and others
- still in need of limits and protection like a three year old
- often obsessed by primal impulses such as sexual activity and setting
fires
- able to recognize and will submit to raw power, making them vulnerable to
gangs
- seriously impaired when it comes to making decisions (by not having the
necessary judgement or reasoning skills)
- terrified of major transition, e.g. middle school, moving, etc.
- extremely vulnerable to ideas in movies, video, music, TV and
advertisements
- unaware of normal hygiene needs
- unable to take responsibility for their actions
Parents report that their adult children with FAS/E are:
- moral chameleons
- often exhausted and irritable from uneven sleep patterns
- at high risk for being drawn into anti-social behavior and at a great risk
for finding the structure and supervision they need in the criminal justice
system
- unlikely to follow safety rules concerning fire hazards, safe meal
preparation, vehicle operation, infectious diseases, basic life needs, etc.
- notably lacking in the ability to manage money
- volatile if pushed too far to do something they see as unreasonable, such
as asking them for money pay their rent or groceries
- quite vulnerable to co-dependent relationships that all to often turn
violent
- incapable of taking daily medication of control pills on a regular or
effective basis
- vulnerable to panic attacks, depression, suicide, mental and emotional
overload and sometimes psychotic breaks
- very impaired as to entertaining themselves and keeping out of mischief
when left alone
- not nearly as capable as they appear to be
- a desperate need of appropriate sheltered employment opportunities
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