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V Page 4 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ March 29,2006 durhamregion.com' Kids with FASD battle invisible disability Parents want to educate community BY JULIAN FOLLERT Staff Writer OSHAWA -- On a recent spring morning, morning, six local parents sat chatting, as parents do, about tantrums, trouble at school and bedtimes. But they also touched on something that not all parents experience. Finger pointing. Disapproving glances. Strangers Strangers who assume they are bad parents, or worse, that their kids are bad kids. "People can be really judgemental of us as parents, ( because of the way our kids sometimes act," said Rita, an outspoken outspoken mother of three children. "The kids look normal, so people don't even realize they have a disability." . • These parents are all members of the support group run by the Fetal Alcohol Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Durham Committee. Their children face extraordinary extraordinary challenges as they deal with a disability that is all but invisible. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term used to describe the range of disabilities that can result when women drink during pregnancy. pregnancy. It is the leading cause of life-long developmental and cognitive disabilities among Canadian children, affecting up to one in 100 births. Many of the parents belonging to this, support group have also learned that FASD affects a high percentage of children children adopted from other countries - five of the six are raising children adopted outside Canada. FASD can embody an array of physical and psychiatric problems, from learning disabilities and lower than normal IQ to behavioural problems. It is a life-long condition - a child with FASD becomes an adult with FASD. Studies show that these adults have a much higher chance of being unemployed, homeless or in trouble with the law. Every case is different, making it difficult difficult to diagnose in the early years. "Things you would never think could be caused by alcohol," said Arlene, who along with husband Richard is raising adopted twin girls with FASD, Examples include super sensitivity to light and sound - making something as simple as a school fire drill or flushing flushing toilet a nightmare - attention deficit, deficit, poor short-term memory, difficulty socializing and sensitivity to touch. "A child who is sensitive to touch might be standing in line somewhere and have someone brush against them so they react oddly," offers Richard. Rita and husband Trevor are regularly Region defends itself From page 1 process of reducing the turbidity in water. A process error occurred that temporarily. stopped the flow of alum in the water supply system. However. Durham works commissioner Cliff Curtis explained staff monitor the chlorine chlorine going out of the system and had it reached an unacceptable level the system would have automatically shut down. Durham staff detected the error and rectified it immediately, according to Mr. Curtis. ■ : ' "The turbidity levels in the water supply supply did not approach adverse levels," Mr. Gaskell said. "They remained well within the regulated regulated range that is set by the MOE. This is not related to the quality of the water; this was not a public safety issue." surprised by the obstacles their son faces - they are currently battling their church to allow him to participate in his first communion. Sheila Bums, project co-ordinator for the FASD Durham Committee, said seeing seeing through the behaviour to the disability disability underneath is one of the biggest hurdles for those trying to diagnose and treat FASD. Huge strides are being made however, however, especially in Durham Region which leads Ontario communities in the approach to diagnosis and support services. "Now we know this is about brain function in response to external stimuli," Ms. Burns explained. "We know something something as simple as changing the lighting in a classroom or giving a student headphones headphones to filter out excessive noise can make a huge difference." In addition to working with school boards on early assessments and class-. room accommodations, the FASD Durham Durham Committee offers community education education and support for families. The parents say having each other for support makes a huge difference, but in the end all agree that it is their children who inspire them the most. "Our children are our heroes, because they have to fight harder and try harder to do everything," Richard said. "They amaze us every day." LIVE ENTERTAINMENT „ SAT. 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