Yeah, so. You got a problem with that? I may not be able to spell, I can’t really talk in front of crowds, and I’m a little weird. You want to say that to my face? Like it’s not my fault my mother drank while she was pregnant. I was helpless and vulnerable, but it almost seemed as if she didn’t care.
No, I myself am not a victim of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder but I do know some, which is why I wrote this article. There is this boy in my class, he cannot talk in front of crowds, he is extraordinary at sports and crazy strong, he’s slow to speak and quick to listen, but his learning is slow. All caused by drinking while pregnant.
What is this disease really? I—myself—do not refer to it as a disease, those some do. It is most commonly referred to as the “Invisible Disease”. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is caused by the consumption of alcohol while a soon-to-be-mother is pregnant. A large number of pregnancies in Canada are often unplanned, meaning that the large number of women in the early stages of their pregnancies—not knowing that they are pregnant—may use alcohol and unknowingly cause damage.
FASD is known to describe a list of birth defects within an infant that range from physical abilities to learning disabilities, both of which are not particularly easy on a child. The impacts and effect of FASD can vary, specific birth defects and the degree of the disability can depend on how much alcohol was drunk, when and how often during the pregnancy.
I know some people in my life that have this disorder. Statistics show that 68% percent of FASD victims will have trouble with the law. 55% will end up confined in prison, or a mental institute. Thing is, they`re brother and sister, it strikes me that one of them will end up in prison.
Sometimes you have to take a mile in someone else’s shoes and even try to imagine living your life in their place. How would you act if you knew that sometimes you couldn’t control what you did?
Wayne Dyer once said, “Judgment prevents us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.” Sometimes certain situations will make it harder for you to accept the people around you. Then you get to know them and you realize that they are no different then you and I, and at times it is us that need the help to see beyond their disabilities and rather look towards what they can do.