I've been reading about fetal alcohol syndrome recently. It's been discussed on news programs lately and piqued my interest. I may have mentioned once or twice - or a million times - that my parents loved to drink. If the example of my mother's drinking during her pregnancy with my little brother is any indication of her drinking when she was pregnant with me, it would be a miracle if my brother and I were not affected. My mother always said she never drank as much as she did after she met my dad, so my older sister and brother may have been preserved from FAS. Maybe. My mother might have been mistaken about that claim.
My parents met at a bar in St. Paul, frequented by my mother's parents, in fact my dad knew her parents before he even met my mom. The bar was called The Chatterbox, and that is where a fortune teller told her she was pregnant with me. Not only was she drinking, but she was consulting a fortune teller. So if you're superstitious - who knows? Maybe I was cursed? LOL!
At any rate, reading about FAS, autism and even dyslexia, I discovered these are considered spectrum disorders. There is a wide range of symptoms and effects which require professional analysis to discriminate from behavioral and learning disorders, but it is interesting to read about the symptoms. I have no physical characteristics, except for a barely noticeable tremor, a symptom slightly more noticeable in my brother. He BTW, was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, but it never seemed to be an actual impairment. He's my brother, so I shouldn't write about him without his permission. I'm also just guessing here, regarding symptoms. I may have ADHD as well as dyslexia? I've never been diagnosed. I'm fairly certain I'm dyslexic, especially when it comes to math. I was never good at balancing my checkbook, and I'm always confused by numbers. Although I'm really good at recalling dates.
Anyway - maybe there is a reason for my disordered life after all? What?
Dear Terry,
ReplyDeleteIt is a gift! You use the most funny video to comment on your posts. Thank you for the chuckle.
Katie
Glad you like it! ;)
DeleteI spent 35 years of my professional life in this area. We have come a long way understanding causal factors and are in the infancy of developing effective treatment strategies. It is good to learn all we can about how anything effects our physical and emotional health and behavior. That said there are also miracles that occur that have no scientific explanation. An area just beginning to be explored is the effect of an alcoholic father on an embryo, it stands to reason that there is probably a genetic influence. Research will help, but God's plan for each of us will, with our cooperation, be the determining factor.
ReplyDeleteThanks - I was wondering if the alcohol use of the father played a part. It's not like I am looking for someone to blame anyone for the challenges of life, but it helps to know if and how I may have been affected.
Delete