The Beginning of Life with a FASD Service Dog

(written 1.26.08)

Our son was born in Ashtrakahn, Russia over 9 years ago with a severe life-long disability called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD is an umbrella term used to describe a range of birth defects that can occur when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol. Iyal was adopted at 14 months and was diagnosed with FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome; a severe form of alcohol exposure on the spectrum of FASD) when he was around 4. Like Autism, FASD can have a small or great impact on an individual and their family. For more information about FASD, go to www.nofas.org.

Because of the nature of Iyal's organic brain injury, most medications do not result in positive outcomes. In fact, they tend to make his symptoms/behaviors worse. While we have also used Physical, Occupational and Speech therapies...FASD seems to "live" outside the boundaries of these treatments...stubborn to change. Behavior Modification requires short-term memory and an ability to anticipate consequences for actions taken. People with FASD cannot learn "from their mistakes". Their short term memory is limited, and unable to control impulses...they often act before they "think".

Here are just a few ways in which FASD is really "hidden"...not exactly invisible. FASD is like the undertow...it lies beneath the surface of the individual but is marked by co-existing disorders and characteristics which appear in everyday behaviors. Because FASD looks so much like ADHD, Autism and other disorders it is grossly under diagnosed and misdiagnosed. When it fact 1 out of 100 live births in the U.S. are affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.(CDC 2007) The prevalence is greater than Autism...or Downs Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy, Spina Bifida and Cerebral Palsy combined! Often a combination of the following descriptions apply to someone like a Iyal:

• hyperactivity (looks like ADHD, but is actually a processing issue)
• poor impulse control
• intellectual disability
• sensory integration disorders
• obsessive compulsive disorders
• oppositional defiance disorders
• perseveration
• poor motor planning
• unable to read social "cues"
• always interrupting conversations
• low frustration threshold
• overly emotional
• low self-esteem

The list feels endless to those living with FASD and their families.

Trying to keep our heads above water, we were always looking for new therapies, ideas...anything to help Iyal feel better about himself and more in control. Often children adopted from another country have experienced neglect along with the possibility of birth defects. Attachment issues and post-traumatic stress responses became part of our landscape as Iyal got older. He could not be left alone for any period of time with out becoming extremely anxious.

So about two years ago I had an epiphany! It occurred to me that perhaps a service dog could be helpful to Iyal and us, as well. In truth it would "legitimize his invisible disability".

Service Animals are legally defined (Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990) and are trained to meet the disability-related needs of their handlers/clients who have disabilities. Federal laws protect the rights of individuals with disabilities to be accompanied by their service animals in public places.

Service animals are not considered pets.