It’s not secret a that raising someone living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder can be super frustrating.
Caregivers not only have to deal with their loved ones with life long organic brain damage, they also
have to deal with social service systems that often times have no idea about this devastating disability.

It’s because of this that caregivers are exposed to more frustration, which if not properly expressed can
cause everything from serious health risks to probable break down of the entire family system.

In this post not only am I going to share why I am making a weekly day to vent but I will also share the benefits
and importance of venting.  I am also going to share the better, more healthy way to vent and where you can do it, too.

Continue reading “Why I am changing Wednesday to Ventday!” »

By Ann Kagarise

There are experts and there are experts. I don’t have a degree in genetics. I don’t have a PhD in anything. In fact, I don’t understand a lot of what goes on around me without an interpreter. What makes me an expert? My mom drank when she was pregnant with me. I might not understand the brain, but I am still an expert. I have lived with this FASD brain for over 40 years. Continue reading “All I hear is blah,blah, blah!” »

Everyone loves a success story and I am no different. The arena of Fetal Alcohol is a tough one and sometimes

when we are dealing with crisis after crisis as a caregiver, social worker or heck, even someone living with Fetal Alcohol it’s nice to see

someone doing well.  The following video is from an evening I spent with a young boy, William and his Godfather Jeremy.

You see Jeremy is a World Champion is Karate and runs United Family Martial Arts in Niagara falls Canada.

This was a big day for William as he was receiving his new belt for the completion of his Yellow Belt test. The following video is William’s test and

afterwards, an interview with Jeremy. Enjoy

Call To Action: Do you know a success story? Then please share in the comments below.  It brings other caregivers hope when they hear

and see others do well, which at the end of the day is what we all want right?

By Tara Soucie

I can’t go. I don’t have time. Too much to do. He’s at it again. Argh! Sink is full of dishes. I am way too tired. Piles of laundry. Does this sound familiar? I bet it does.

When Jeff and I were primary caregivers for an FASD teenager – life took a backseat. More particularly, our health and for me, my waist

My relationship with food and distaste for the gym didn’t start when I was a caregiver, but how could battle my weight when I was just barely hanging on with work and life? Food was my friend and I just didn’t have time for the gym. That’s just the way it was. Continue reading “Saying Good Bye to Fast Food and Hello to Smart Choices: Your Journey to Better Health as a Fetal Alcohol caregiver.” »

“It’s nice to see someone else living with fetal alcohol”  That’s what I used to think to myself when I got a

Interview with Amanda prt 1
I also teach a little in the second part of the video. I break down the communication errors that often happen between us and people living with Fetal Alcohol. It was a really fun to do and super informative. Check out part 2 here.

Interview with Amanda prt 2

I hope you enjoyed the video’s as much as I did making them. I hope to do this again in the near future.

Is there any similarity’s with Amanda and someone you know Living with fetal alcohol? Could you see how information is processed differently? Leave a comment if any of this made sense

TOP 10 FASD BLOGS & WEBSITES

I would love to think that my website is the only information hub about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the treatment of the disability, but that would be pretty darn ignorant and nothing further from the truth.

I, like so many of you, searched the internet for hours and hours looking for information and answers about fetal alcohol syndrome and if there were other people going through the same thing I was as a caregiver.

The truth of the matter is that the only way were going to get the masses to understand our kids, is to be as educated as possible,and in order to help you with that, I’m providing you with The TOP 10FASD BLOGS & WEBSITES  that I read and use for my own growth and education about the madness that is Fetal Alcohol.  There are some great technical websites and blogs by other caregivers who are fantastic writers and even better entertainers.

So, without further a due, here are my top 10 favourite FASD website and blogs. Continue reading “Top 10 FASD Blogs & Websites” »

What Can Testing Tell Us?

By Linda Rosenbaum

I was speaking yesterday to a mother whose child is in Grade 1 and is acting up in school. The kid can’t sit still and, in turn runs around the classroom.  He interrupts the teacher when she’s reading to the kids, he’s throwing stones in the playground, at both teachers and students.  He won’t follow directions, fidgets and gets out of his seat in class without permission.

Continue reading “What Can Testing People Living With Fetal Alcohol Tell Us?” »

By Jeff Noble

It can literally happen in a blink of an eye. You had the day planned, you knew how you where to start and where to end and then BAM! Plans change and you didn’t even see it coming and now you’re stuck with no backup plan and that’s when ##$# can hit the fan. It’s bad enough when your child living with FASD does not know what to do next, but when nobody knows what to do...YOWZA. If there is one thing that I know and learnt, it’s that people living with FASD act out when they don’t know what to do. So, in order to decrease the meltdowns, here are a few tips and strategies that have helped me in the planning process. Continue reading “Planning for someone with FASD means having Plan A to Z!!!!” »

By Jeff Noble

So, here’s how I meet Uzma Kahn. I’m in the backyard with family and friends, celebrating my good friend (and roommate), Colin’s birthday. As the evening goes on I catch up with old friends while making some new ones. Some might say, I have the gift of gab. At one point, I remember looking over my shoulder during a conversation to notice a girl who was visually impaired talking with some other people. I have never spent any time with someone who was faced with such a challenge, so I was instantly intrigued. I excused myself from the current conversation and went over to her and introduced myself. What I found out during my conversation with her was that there was much more to this women then a disability. What I found out was that she is a founder and co-chair of Disability Pride Toronto, which is going into its 8th year. Hmm. What a neat connection to have met right in my very own backyard. We had a good chat and exchanged numbers. So, I decided to do an interview with her and find out a little more. What is Disability Pride all about? And what’s going to happen during this year’s event? I also wanted to find out about her own struggles with her disability and her attitude towards it because she certainly has been able to accomplish so much in spite of the challenges she has faced. Here is my interview with Uzma Kahn. Enjoy. Continue reading “Interview with Uzma Kahn, founder and lead organizer of the Annual Disability Pride Celebration in Toronto – Simply People.” »