This commentary is by Wavell Cowan, of Montpelier, a research scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, businessman, social activist, and author.
[F]etal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is now recognized as the most common, most expensive, most under appreciated and most ignored, yet most preventable mental disorder in the industrialized world. Much of the special ed portion of the student population in America are misdiagnosed youngsters really suffering from FASD due to alcohol consumption by their mothers during pregnancy.
Almost any message encouraging women to avoid alcohol during pregnancy will make some women feel guilty. They are the ones who may be unable to stop drinking alcohol because of mental health issues, addiction, partner abuse and so on. What is needful to understand is that even light or infrequent drinking during pregnancy is potentially harmful. After conception, only the total absence of alcohol consumption will guarantee normal brain development of the fetus.
This translates into the reality that only a “planned” pregnancy with alcohol consumption ceasing when the plan is activated, can guarantee normal brain development of the child. Alcohol consumption before awareness of an unplanned pregnancy can result in fetal brain damage.
Youngsters with FASD will lack certain neural brain connections that are normally present. As a spectrum disorder, this will range from unrecognizable limitations, to unrecognizable till about grade 3 when they are typically classified as requiring special ed, to recognizable at birth by the physical appearance announcing the fully blown fetal alcohol “syndrome.” This increasing level of alcohol induced brain damage causes an increasing number of normal neural brain connections to be omitted causing behavior or learning problems that need to be understood as reflecting “can’t not won’t.”
This reality requires a very different approach to providing for the needs of FASD children if they are to become functioning adults. Because they lack the brain connections that allow “learning” of certain subject matters, teaching cannot achieve “understanding” where learning difficulties are encountered. Remember, can’t not won’t. Most important is behavioral problems. Here endless repetition to make proper behavior a “habit” rather than an “understanding” is the essential need.
Solving the problem seems simple on the face of it. When the harmful effects of smoking were made evident by their association with lung cancer and other health problems, insistent public sector communications and labeling laws were established to ensure widespread appreciation of the serious risks of smoking and of its addictive nature. This message also became part of public school curriculums. Nothing like this has occurred in respect to FASD. The consequence? It is estimated that between 3 percent and 5 percent of the population suffer from this easily preventable but frequently calamitous and hugely expensive social problem. Like many other social problems, ignorance is king.
For more information and particularly in support of FASD families, visit fasworld.com
