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Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 17:22:29 -0500
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Lynne Moss-Sharman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Fetal Alcohol support group, Manitoulin-Sudbury
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Coping with fetal alcohol syndrome
By Denis St. Pierre/THE SUDBURY STAR 12/12/99
Debby Hunter knew she was assuming an incredible challenge when she
adopted a fetal alcohol syndrome child. �I knew quite a bit about it; I
worked with special needs kids for 15 years,� says Hunter, a longtime
social worker who lives in Silverwater on Manitoulin
Island. But other parents of children with fetal alcohol syndrome may not
be as well prepared, Hunter says. That�s why she would like to set up the
first support group in the Sudbury-Manitoulin area for parents of FAS
children. FAS is a combination of mental and physical defects caused prior
to birth, by alcohol consumption by a child�s mother while she is pregnant.
The physical, mental and emotional deficits of FAS are irreversible and
continue throughout the child�s life. They include impaired reasoning,
judgment and self control which often result in crime, delinquency and
other anti-social behaviour.
FAS children also can have physical characteristics such as permanent brain
damage, growth problems and heart and kidney defects. Although not always
prevalent, facial characteristics can include a low nasal bridge,
abnormally small eyes, a flat midface, a short nose and thin upper lip. Two
months ago, Hunter adopted a four-year-old girl from southern Ontario who
was born with FAS. Despite her social work background, she still has had
difficulty accessing information and services for her child. �I had a hard
time just finding resources on FAS and I figured if someone with my
background has trouble getting help, what kind of problems would
some other people have.� Creating a support group would have multiple
benefits for parents of FAS children, she says. �It would help get ideas
and advice to parents on how to handle their child�s
behavior. And we could have a respite program so parents could give each
other some relief every now and then. The big thing is to help people cope,
but it could branch out into different areas.�
While awareness of FAS has increased significantly over the last several
years, considerable misinformation remains, particularly in the education
and health fields, Hunter says. �You find a lot of medical specialists and
even teachers end up telling parents so many different
things,� she says. An FAS support group could solicit and disseminate
accurate advice from experts on the syndrome, she adds.
Anyone in the Manitoulin-Sudbury area interested in establishing a support
group can contact Hunter at (705) 283-3645.
"Let Us Consider The Human Brain As
A Very Complex Photographic Plate"
1957 G.H. Estabrooks
www.angelfire.com/mn/mcap/bc.html
FOR K A R E N #01182
who died fighting 4/23/99
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.aches-mc.org
807-622-5407
For people like me, violence is the minotaur; we spend our lives
wandering its maze, looking for the exit. (Richard Rhodes)
Never befriend the oppressed
unless you are prepared to
take on the oppressor.
(Author unknown)
