Characteristics of Students with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect

Students with FAS/E are as different from each other as any group of children. They come from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Each child presents a complex individual portrait of competencies and delays. Students with FAS/E must be recognized as individuals rather than as members of a homogeneous group.

FAS/E can affect individuals in varying degrees, from mild to severe in the following areas:

Cognitive Functioning.

The intellectual abilities of students with FAS/E can vary greatly. Many students with FAS/E have graduated from high school with minimal extra support and adaptations. To date, a wide range of IQ has been documented: 29 to 120 for FAS and 42 to 142 for FAE.

Other conditions commonly observed in children with FAS/E include:

• Learning Disabilities (LD),
• Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD),
• difficulty with sequencing,
• difficulty with memory,
• difficulty understanding cause/effect relationships, and/or
• weak generalizing skills.

Social/Emotional Functioning

Students with FAS/E may display a variety of atypical responses to unfamiliar or frustrating situations. Increased anxiety may result in withdrawal, outbursts or other acting out behaviours that may be harmful to the student or others in the group. A young child with FAS/E may have severe temper tantrums and find it hard to adjust to change. Many adolescents with FAS/E are prone to depression, poor judgment and impulsivity. They are often described as innocent, immature and easily vicitimized.

Other responses commonly observed in children with FAS/E include:

• stealing, lying and defiance,
• difficulty predicting and/or understanding the consequences of behaviour,
• easily manipulated and led by others,
• difficulty making and keeping friends,
• overly friendly and affectionate, easily approached by strangers, and/or
• perseverative or “stubborn.”

Physical Functioning

Basic physiological responses may be abnormal in students with FAS/E. This may present in one or more of the following ways:

• A high threshold for pain which can result in the student not being aware of a serious injury or infection.
• No perception of hunger or satiation.
• Difficulty perceiving extreme temperatures.
• Difficulty with visual/spatial perception and balance.

Some children with FAS/E excel in individual sports that require gross motor coordination such as swimming, skiing and roller-blading. Others have significant delays in gross and fine motor skill development which can affect all areas of functioning. In mild cases, delays in motor abilities can influence the acquisition of skills such as tying shoelaces and printing neatly. In more severe cases, children with FAS/E may have had problems learning to chew and swallow food.

Students with FAS/E have a higher than average incidence of a number of other medical concerns. These include:

• difficulties with vision,
• difficulties with hearing,
• heart problems,
• growth deficiency,
• neurological conditions such as seizure disorders, and/or
• impaired bone and/or joint development.

Teachers should be alert to the fact that a number of these health concerns can directly impact the student’s ability to achieve success in the classroom. In some cases, a student’s medical report will include recommendations for the school that may assist in program planning.

The student with FAS/E can bring gifts to your classroom, including a sense of humor, creativity, caring, a love of animals, determination, musical and artistic talent and a desire to please.

Through formal and informal assessments, you will be able to develop a plan that draws on your student’s strengths to support his or her educational needs. It is important to think about where the child has started from, where he or she is today, and the long term goals for tomorrow.

An essential ingredient throughout the process is developing and supporting the student’s self-esteem. Nothing lights up a child’s face more than achieving something through a learning experience. It is important to set up a classroom where this can take place as often as possible.

Episodes of intimate partner violence are associated with alcohol consumption. To explore this relationship further, researchers interviewed a random sample of heterosexual couples at baseline and 5 years later. They assessed alcohol use and related problems, and the incidence (new cases) and recurrence (cases at both follow-up and baseline) of male-to-female partner violence and female-to-male partner violence. Analyses included 1136 couples who were cohabitating and/or married at both baseline and follow-up. Partner violence was defined as a range of violent behaviors, such as slapping, kicking, forcing sex, and threatening with a gun or knife.

• At follow-up, the incidence of both female-to-male and male-to-female partner violence was only 6 percent. However, recurrence was more common (female-to-male violence 44 percent, male-to-female violence 39 percent).
• In unadjusted analyses, incidence and/or recurrence of partner violence was significantly associated with greater mean consumption by male perpetrators; heavy drinking (at least 5 drinks on an occasion in the past year) by male and female perpetrators; and/or alcohol problems among male and female perpetrators.
• Among these alcohol indicators, only mean consumption (among both female perpetrators and male victims) remained significantly associated with new or recurrent cases of female-to-male partner violence when analyses were adjusted for potential confounders.

Comments by Joseph Conigliaro, MD, MPH: Female-to-male partner violence was as common as male-to-female partner violence in this population-based sample, whereas male perpetration of partner violence is often the norm in clinical samples. Nevertheless, heavy episodic drinking, alcohol problems, and higher average alcohol consumption should be considered risk factors for partner violence and addressed in prevention efforts.

Reference: Caetano R, McGrath C, Ramisetty-Mikler S, et al. Drinking, alcohol problems and the five-year recurrence and incidence of male to female and female to male partner violence. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2005;29(1):98-106.

Reprinted with permission from “Alcohol and Health: Current Evidence”.

Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) by Edward S., Ph.D. Kubany, Mari A. McCaig, Janet R. Laconsay Read more about this title…

• Al-Anon Offers New Life
• AA’s 12-Step Recovery Program
• Alcoholic Defence Mechanisms
• Attendance at Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings
• Binge Drinking & Brain Damage
• Brief-TSF Description
• Characteristics of Children of Alcoholics
• Counseling and the 12 Steps of AA
• Counselor Characteristics
• Craving Reduction
• Effects of Gambling Addiction
• How do alcoholics get to AA?
• Phases of Recovery
• PTSD and Alcohol Addiction
• Research Evidence for TSF
• Slogans for everyday life in AA
• Symptoms of Alcoholism
• The Personality Traits of Alcoholics
• TSF Description
• What about Partners of Alcoholics?
• Subscribe to Twelve Step Facilitation by e-Mail

Couple Therapy for Alcoholism: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Manual by Phylis J. Wakefield, Rebecca E. Williams, Elizabeth B. Yost, Kathleen M. Patterson Read more about this title…

What symptoms of alcoholism does Brief-TSF address?

Many signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse may not be apparent even to a close relative or friend.

However, some can be easily seen and some may be hidden by other symptoms; or denied by the drinker.

The Brief-TSF course describes the signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse and alcoholism and provides ways of uncovering them.

Medical symptoms of alcoholism.

The medical symptoms of alcoholism are;

• Hangovers,
• blackouts,
• injuries,
• lethargy,
• weight gain or loss,
• poor coordination,
• high blood pressure,
• impotence,
• vomiting,
• nausea,
• cirrhosis of the liver,
• pancreas disease,
• brain damage, and
• tolerance to alcohol.

Psychological signs of alcohol dependence.

The psychological symptoms of alcohol dependence are;

• Poor concentration,
• sleep problems,
• cloudy thinking,
• depression,
• anxiety/stress,
• aggression,
• loss of control of drinking and
• denial of the effects of alcohol.

Social aspects of alcohol abuse

The social aspects of alcohol abuse are;

• Difficulties and arguments with family or friends,
• difficulties performing at work or home,
• unemployment,
• withdrawal from friends and social activities,
• legal problems and
• financial insecurity.

Spiritual affects of alcohol addiction.

The spiritual affect of alcohol addiction are;

• Dysthymia or mild chronic depression,
• restlessness,
• irritability,
• discontentment,
• self-centeredness,
• insecurity,
• self-pitying,
• resentful,
• fearful and
• feeling useless.

Partner Brief-TSF

Brief-TSF includes intervention with significant others in an alcohol dependents life. Significant others may be

• partners of alcoholics,
• children of alcoholics,
• adult children of alcoholics,
• parents of alcoholics,
• grand parents of alcoholics and
• work colleagues.

Partner Brief-TSF has similar goals and methods to Brief-TSF. The overall goal is referral of the significant other to Al-anon or Alateen.

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On completion of BriefTSF, you will be able to use Brief-TSF as adjunctive therapy and;

Understand and use questionnaires for assessing alcohol use.

• Separate the differences between alcoholics and problem drinkers
• Guide alcoholics to self-assessment and acceptance of their condition
• Gauge suitability of alcoholics for Alcoholics Anonymous

Understand the barriers to alcoholics acceptance of their condition

• Understand alcoholism as an illness
• Help an alcoholic to work through denial, and self defeating thinking and emotions
• Understand the stages of change in recovery from alcoholism
• Understand the impaired thinking and behaviour of alcoholics
• Foster rational and spiritual responses to dangerous drinking reminders and situations
• Help the alcoholic understand the key remedies to craving and compulsive thinking.

Understand the self help methods of Alcoholics Anonymous, Alateen and Al-anon

• Be able to work with recovering members of self help groups such as AA, Al Anon and Alateen.
• Help and support prospective members in contacting an AA or Al-anon Peer Sponsor

Understand the ‘tools of recovery’ and practices of the AA program and culture.

• Support prospective and new members of AA in their quest for sobriety using AA meetings, slogans and AA members.
• Detect the barriers to ‘doing the program’ in AA
• Discuss remedies for dangerous actions and thinking with the alcoholic
• Promote relapse prevention and better responses to relapse
• Support an alcoholic in using the tools of relapse prevention
• Help alcoholics gain new motivation, hope and action after a relapse

Partners of Alcoholics

• Understand the thinking and actions of partners, children and parents of alcoholics
• Help with understanding of alcoholic family forces and the enabling of alcoholism
• recognise symptoms of child, youth and adult abuse within alcoholic families
• Recognize impaired and healthy caring actions of significant others
• Guide partners of alcoholics to self assessment and acceptance of their condition
• Judge suitability of partners and children of alcoholics for self help groups such as Al-anon or Alateen

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Alcoholism and addiction have several common threads with reciprocal recovery principles.

In their book, “Rethinking Substance Abuse,” editors William R. Miller and Kathleen M. Carroll to sum up what has been learned about the science of addiction. These are;

• Drug Use is Chosen Behavior in the Beginning – for experimenting, peer pressure or otherwise its chosen at first.
• Drug Problems Emerge Gradually – it takes time to become addicted.
• Once Well Established, Drug Problems Tend to Become Self-Perpetuating – once the brain alters it number of drug receptor cells drug craving demands more of the same.
• Motivation is Central to Prevention and Intervention - actively doing something toward change may be more important than the particular actions that are taken.
• Drug Use Responds to Reinforcement. If you crave and use the drug use is reinforced.
• Drug Problems Do Not Occur in Isolation, but as Part of behavior clusters such as mood disorders, school or work problems, legal problems, ill-health and family problems.
• There Are Identifiable and Modifiable Risk and Protective Factors for Problem Drug Use – inherited and learned behaviour.
• Drug Problems Occur within a Family Context – either dysfunctional family culture, genetics or parental drug use.
• Drug Problems Are Affected by a Larger Social Context – social isolation is both a promoter and consequence; while bonding with someone else or a Higher Power may reverse the problem.
• Relationship Matters in rehabilitation. That’s why Alcoholics Anonymous relies on a spiritual connection with another person or a Higher Power.

See also;

• ABC’s of Recovery
• Alcohol intervention may help.
• Alcoholic Insanity
• Alcoholic Recovery for Gay and Lesbian People
• Subscribe by e-Mail to Alcohol Self-help News

Rethinking Substance Abuse: What the Science Shows, and What We Should Do about It by William R. Miller and Kathleen M. Carroll Read more about this title…

Psychological Characteristics of Children of Alcoholics

By KENNETH J. SHER, PH.D.

More than 20 years ago, researchers first noted that children of alcoholics (COA’s) appeared to be affected by a variety of problems over the course of their life span.

Such problems include;

fetal alcohol syndrome, which is first manifested in infancy;

emotional problems and hyperactivity in childhood;

emotional problems and conduct problems in adolescence; and

the development of alcoholism in adulthood.

Although much has been learned over the ensuing two decades, a number of controversial research areas remain. In particular, debate stems from the fact that despite a common interest in COA’s, clinically focused literature and research-focused literature have resulted in two distinct bodies of knowledge. This article reviews important research results, with emphasis on findings generated by the alcohol-research community. Attention also is given to examining the empirical validity of concepts that have been advanced by several influential clinicians from the COA field.

ALCOHOL HEALTH & RESEARCH WORLD, VOL. 21, NO. 3, 1997

Faith Community Nurses and the Prevention and Management of Addiction Problems

Faith Community Nurses can have a role in the prevention and management of problems associated with the use and abuse of psychoactive substances, prescription drugs, and over-the-counter medications.

Religious perspectives of faith communities on the use of drugs vary considerably, as do the religious perspectives of addiction.

Nevertheless, Faith Community Nurses work in these communities and understand the unique culture of these groups.

The Faith Community Nurse has many functions including health educator, health advocate, personal health counselor, referral agent, coordinator of volunteers, developer of support groups, and integrator of health and faith.

Consequently, the Faith Community Nurse is involved with individuals, families, and members of the community.

These connections provide many opportunities for the Faith Community Nurse to institute programs to prevent addictions, help people understand the problems of addiction, help provide a caring community for people suffering from addictions, and guide people to the help they need.

In addition, the nurse has opportunities to conduct research that would enhance the understanding of the topic.

Research; Joan A. Bard. Faith Community Nurses and the Prevention and Management of Addiction Problems. Journal of Addictions Nursing, Volume 17, Issue 2 July 2006 , pages 115 - 120

A healthy dentist is one of the most important ingredients in a successful dental practice. An ingredient not to be taken for granted. Professionals, dentists included, can and do experience illnesses and problems that can disrupt or impair a practice.

In addition to the vulnerabilities of the human condition–addictive disorders, psychiatric illnesses, infectious disease, family and relationship problems, or the many varieties of human misery–dentists have undergone a powerful process of socialization into their professional role that makes it difficult to seek help for themselves.

Stigma about addictive and psychiatric illnesses continues to be a problem despite significant advances in scientific understanding of these disorders.

Many people, especially those in positions of community visibility as dentists are, still struggle with shame when they associate problems with personal failure.

Dental societies are in an ideal position to provide resources and support, should they choose to take this opportunity, and the ADA has the information and expertise to help them do this.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Dentists can become more aware of their own vulnerabilities and enhance their personal and professional effectiveness, as well as evaluate ways they may support their staff and colleagues.

Research; J Am Dent Assoc. 2004 Jan;135(1):84-9. Safeguarding the health of dental professionals. Lavine SR, Drumm JW, Keating LK.

See also;

• Brief-TSF can assist people cease alcohol consumption.
• Twelve-Step Programs as an Adjunct to Psychotherapy and Psychopharmacology
• Subscribe to Twelve Step Facilitation by e-Mail

Natural Health, Natural Medicine: The Complete Guide to Wellness and Self-Care for Optimum Health by Andrew Weil Read more about this title…

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AA’s 12-Step Recovery Program

Alcohol and Anxiety

Alcohol Problems Database

Alcoholic Defence Mechanisms

Alcoholics Anonymous and Nursing

An Introduction to Medication for Alcohol Dependence

Anti-craving Drugs

Binge Drinking & Brain Damage

Brain Damage & Cirrhosis

Brief-TSF Description

Brief-TSF Learning Objectives

Characteristics of Children of Alcoholic

Controlled drinking?

Counselling and the 12 Steps of AA

Counsellor Characteristics

Craving Reduction

Depression & 12-Step Programs

Effects of Gambling Addiction

Elderly Substance Abuse

Families, Mental Health & Alcohol abuse

Female Victims of Child Abuse

Five Alcoholism Subtypes

Free Training Alcoholism Anti-craving Medications

Gender Matching Hypothesis in Alcohol Treatment

Healing through Social and Spiritual Affiliation

How Alcoholics Anonymous is changing

How do alcoholics get to AA?

Humility and Surrender

Nutritional Therapy in Alcoholic Liver Disease

Painkiller abuse

Phases of Recovery from Alcoholism

Readiness to Change Profiles

Recovery through the Twelve Steps

Research Evidence for TSF

Risky Partners and Domestic Violence

Slogans for everyday life in AA

Spiritual Assessment

Spirituality in Alcoholism Recovery

Stages of an Eating Disorder

Strategies for Dealing With Denial

Symptoms of alcoholism

The 12-Steps Promote Acceptance of Addiction

The Personality Traits of Alcoholics

Treating Alcoholism as a Chronic Disease

TSF Description

Twelve step programs

What about partners of alcoholics?

Women and the Twelve Steps of AA

World view change in Adult Children of Alcoholics

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