Infancy & Early Childhood: Ages 0-5
Problems and Concerns
- Sleep disturbances; poor sleep/wake cycle
- Poor sucking responses
- Failure to thrive
- Delays in walking and talking
- Delayed toilet training
- Difficulty following directions
- Temper tantrums and disobedience
- Distractibility and hyperactivity
Recommendations
- Early identification
- Intervention with birth and/or foster/adoptive parents
- Education of parents regarding physical and psychosocial needs of an infant or child affected by FASD
- Careful monitoring of physical development and health
- Safe, stable and structured home
- Assignment of a case manager for coordination of services and support to parents
- Placement of child in preschool
- Respite care for caretakers
Latency Period: Ages 6-11
Problems and Concerns
- Easily influenced and difficulty predicting and/or understanding consequences
- Give and appearance of capability without actual abilities
- Difficulty separating fact from fantasy
- Temper tantrums, lying, stealing, disobedience and defiance of authority
- Delayed physical and cognitive development
- Poor comprehension of social rules and expectations
Recommendations
- Safe, stable and structured home or residential placement
- Careful and continued monitoring of health issues and existing problems
- Appropriate educational and daily living skills placement
- Help caretakers establish realistic expectations and goals
- Caretakers support group
- Psychological, educational and adaptive evaluations on a regular basis
- Use of clear, concrete and immediate consequences for behavior
- Respite care for caretakers
- Case manager role expands to include liaison between parents, school, health care providers and social service agents.
Adolescence: Ages 12-17
Problems and Concerns
- Lying, stealing and passivity in responding to requests
- Faulty logic
- Egocentric; has difficulty comprehending and/or responding appropriately to other people’s feelings, needs and desires
- Low motivation
- Low Self Esteem
- Academic ceiling which is usually around grade 4 for reading and grade 3 for Spelling and Math
- Depression
- Pregnancy or fathering a child
- Loss of residential placement
Recommendations
- Education of caretakers and patients regarding sexual development, birth control options and protection from sexually transmitted diseases
- Planning and implementation of adult residential and vocational training and placement
- Appropriate mental health interventions as needed
- Respite care for caretakers
- Caretakers support group
- Safe, stable and structured home or residential placement
- Shifting of focus from academic skills to daily living and vocational skills
- Careful monitoring of social activities and structuring of leisure time
- Working towards increased independence by teaching to make healthy choices (taught at the child’s level)
Adulthood: Ages 18 and beyond
Problems and Concerns
- Residential placement
- Economic support and protection
- Job training and placement
- Depression and suicidal ideation
- Pregnancy or fathering of a child
- Social and sexual exploitation, or in appropriate behavior
- Increased expectations of the person affected by FASD by other people
- Increased dissatisfaction towards the person affected by FASD by others
- Withdrawal and isolation
- Unpredictable behavior
Recommendations
- Guardianship for funds
- Specialized residential and/or subsidized living
- Specialized vocational training and job placements
- Medical coupons
- Acceptance of the person’s “world”
- Acknowledgment of the person‘s skills and limitations
- Advocates to ensure the above occurs