Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Books

The Moon Children
Saskatchewan Book Awards Shortlist - Children's Books, 2007

Staring across the street the day after his alcoholic father disappears, eleven-year-old Billy Ray is startled to see one of his schoolmates, an adopted Romanian girl, gazing at the sky and then writing in a notebook. She is keeping a Moon Journal, cataloguing the phases of the moon to keep alive a secret memory that, eventually, Billy is the first to discover.

Although he has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and struggles with many things that typical kids take for granted, Billy's curiosity and warmth intrigue Natasha, and the two children develop a friendship that gives them the strength and courage to reveal their deepest secrets and to reach for their dreams.

One of Billy's dreams is to enter a talent contest at the local park. He has been practicing yo-yo tricks over and over again, hoping to impress his father. Things don't turn out as planned, but under unfair circumstances that would make other children give up, Billy proves himself to be a steadfast example of the way hope elicits the power to carry on.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (Diseases and Disorders) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a leading cause of mental retardation and birth defects. Associated with various physical and neurological disorders, FAS is caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Though it is a lifelong disorder, this book explores living with the effects of the syndrome and ways to combat it. (20051001)

"An extraordinarily lucid and well-balanced analysis. Using the tools of history, epidemiology, and sociology, Armstrong has made the social construction of fetal alcohol syndrome a site for illuminating research -- and not a one-dimensional polemical slogan. This accessible book should be of interest to anyone interested in the formation and implementation of social policy -- as well as historians of medicine and gender." -- Charles E. Rosenberg, Harvard University

This thoroughly researched collection presents vital information from many authoritative sources: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Contents include clinical and medical information, with information on signs, symptoms, testing, diagnosis, treatment, and more.

In addition, as a bonus we have included an encyclopedic collection of general medical and health documents - thousands of pages with extensive material from the CDC and NIH on hundreds of diseases and health topics from A to Z, along with FDA drug and medical publications, government consumer healthcare tips, disease prevention programs, dietary guidelines, and travelers' health information. Since navigating the Internet to find additional non-governmental medical information can be confusing, we've also provided our exclusive "Guide to Leading Medical Websites" with updated links to 73 of the best sites for medical information! By using weblinks on the CD-ROM, you can quickly check for the latest clinical updates directly from the government.

This CD-ROM has over 33,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software and Reader software is included. Advanced search and indexing features are built into our reproduction, providing a complete full-text index. This enables the user to search all the files on the disk at one time for words or phrases using just one search command! The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, and portable!

Our CD-ROMs are privately-compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed or printed without untold hours of tedious searching and downloading. This book-on-a-disc makes a superb reference work and educational tool for patients and their families, physicians, and other medical professionals. (Information on this CD-ROM is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice; of course, readers are urged to consult with a professional health care provider for any suspected illness.)

Typically, children with these disorders struggle in their ability to learn the activities of daily living such as: dressing, hygiene, grooming, and academics. In the older child there is a struggle to engage in purposeful activity, problem, solve, follow-through, and cope with stress. In adulthood these difficulties show themselves in such things as a lack of safety awareness, poor money management, and poor judgement in general, which will have an impact on the individual's ability to live independently. In a very broad way, these life skills can also be thought of as adaptive skills.

Unknown to many is that at the heart of each of these brain-based disorders is something called Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Sensory Integration Dysfunction is a term used to define the brain's inability to integrate for use the information received from the senses of movement, touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell. Since all information that requires higher level thinking enters the brain by way of these sensory routes, it is critical that the human brain be able to receive correctly, or at least tolerate, input from the senses. Occupational therapists trained in treating Sensory Integration Dysfunction strive to help the child not only tolerate sensory input, but also to integrate it for use and thus promote optimal brain health, growth, and development. Granted, brain-based disorders are disorders for life; we cannot fix them. However, studies have found that when treated also with Sensory Integration Therapy, these disorders can be impacted by degrees so that adaptive life skills can be learned all the while the nervous system is maturing. This can mean independent living with supervision one day for the adult with a disability. It can mean an age appropriate child being able to stay home alone safely for several hours. It can mean a child being able to let himself into an empty house at the end of the school day without fear. It can mean a child going to school, tying her shoes, making a sandwich, and participating in social groups. It can mean a family living a relatively normal life and in harmony with the child with the disability.

Living in harmony with a child with Sensory Integration Dysfunction can be especially challenging. Unlike children who have noticable physical handicaps, Sensory Integration Dysfunction is a hidden disorder. Too many people (parents and professional alike) do not know what it looks like, as was the case with Shilts; the author of this book. As an adoptive parent, Shilts loved her child as much as any birth parent does. She had the best of intentions. Her problem was ignorance. Ignorance about Sensory Integration Dysfunction and its impact on behaviors as well as its impact on the parent-child relationship. Some children with Sensory Integration Dysfunction can have problems building and maintaining personal relationships in general. For children with severe Sensory Integration Dysfunction (as was the case with Shilts' child) it can be impossible. An intimate relationship, such as that between parent and child (and later a mate), requires the ability to give and take in a reciprocal way. Shilts knew early on that there was something missing in the relationship-something she coult not define-which was the child's inability to give love back.

Shilts struggled for a long time with the traditional techniques thought to be helpful to children who do not relate to others. But it wasn't until she realized her child's problem was with the brain rather that the spirit that she was able to move forward; to start "thinking outside of the box." Parents and therapists in many other states were using cognitive remediation/brain development techniques and strategies to help children like hers. She did not have to accept that nothing could be done. So she set to work to help her child. And help him she did. It was a spiritual journey as well as an educational one as she had to have faith in something she could not always see: the development of a child from the inside out. She also learned that she alone was the best advocate for her child.

This book is inspirational for parents. Shilts' children are now in adolescence and leading full and productive lives. Shilts is in private practice teaching other parents in her area how they too can bring nature and nurture together to develop the child from the inside out. And because the artist in her lives to create, she works on a novel in her spare time.

Tiny Titan A new kind of Mother's Day story for all the countless mothers in America who dedicate their lives to exceptional children with special medical and mental health care needs. The story and the children are real.

In 1989, the Yurceks sixth child, Becca was born with a rare genetic disorder, and while she struggled to survive, her family tumbled into poverty. This is the true and inspirational story of their journey out of poverty and the many miracles they received along the way.

In the spirit of giving back, they adopted and reunited five siblings separated in foster care. And for their new children they fought for resources in mental health and child welfare with the same tenacity they had fought for Becca in the medical world. Other's said their journey was impossible, but they proved them wrong.

A generation has passed since a physician first noticed that women who drank heavily while pregnant gave birth to underweight infants with disturbing tell-tale characteristics. Women whose own mothers enjoyed martinis while pregnant now lost sleep over a bowl of rum raisin ice cream. In Message in a Bottle, Janet Golden charts the course of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) through the courts, media, medical establishment, and public imagination.

Long considered harmless during pregnancy (doctors even administered it intravenously during labor), alcohol, when consumed by pregnant women, increasingly appeared to be a potent teratogen and a pressing public health concern. Some clinicians recommended that women simply moderate alcohol consumption; others, however, claimed that there was no demonstrably safe level for a developing fetus, and called for complete abstinence. Even as the diagnosis gained acceptance and labels appeared on alcoholic beverages warning pregnant women of the danger, FAS began to be de-medicalized in some settings. More and more, FAS emerged in court cases as a viable defense for people charged with serious, even capital, crimes and their claims were rejected.

Golden argues that the reaction to FAS was shaped by the struggle over women's relatively new abortion rights and the escalating media frenzy over "crack" babies. It was increasingly used as evidence of the moral decay found within marginalized communities--from inner-city neighborhoods to Indian reservations. With each reframing, FAS became a currency traded by politicians and political commentators, lawyers, public health professionals, and advocates for underrepresented minorities, each pursuing separate aims.

Part heartfelt memoir, part practical guide, Damaged Angels recounts Bonnie Buxton's struggles to raise an adopted daughter whom she didn't realize was afflicted with fetal alcohol disorder. Her book also offers guidance to parents who have children with FASD. By the time Bonnie's daughter Colette hit first grade, her parents were coping with her frequent stealing and lying, and the necessity of special education. At fourteen, she discovered drugs and sex; by eighteen, she was a crack addict living on the streets. After many frustrating years consulting numerous therapists, a TV news story gave Bonnie the answer she was looking for — and sent her on a quest for a diagnosis and help for Colette. Damaged Angels can aid and comfort all those affected by FASD — the most common cause of intellectual impairments in most industrialized nations — and reduce the number of babies born with this disorder in the future. The most important book on fetal alcohol disorder since Michael Dorris's The Broken Cord, Damaged Angels is a book for every parent, practitioner, and teacher working with a child with FASD.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Guide for Families and Communities Brookes. Univ. of Washington, Seattle. Text on the issues of alcohol related problems for parents, physicians, psychologists, social workers, and students of these professions. Covers diagnosis, physical and behavioral manifestations, education, employment, advocacy, and public policy. Softcover.

Our FAScinating Journey: Keys to Brain Potential Along the Path of Prenatal Brain Injury, Second Edition Our FAScinating Journey will introduce readers to another winding path in working with prenatally exposed children. Jodee illuminates this path with lights that shine the hope of possibilities for these special kids. On your journey through these pages you will: • Discover creative approaches in reaching and loving children with attachment issues. • Understand how alcohol affects the growing brains of children. • Become familiar with brain terminology. • Uncover ideas to help a child nutritionally. • Wade through school and behavior issues with tears, laughter and strategies you may not have tried. • Meet professionals who have helped the Kulp family help Liz grow. • Loose yourself in a myriad of ideas within the appendix. • Smile as you get to know Liz, a very real teen who is determined to be the best she can be inspite of FASD. Our FAScinating Journey: The Best We Can Be, Keys to Brain Potential Along the Path of Prenatal Brain Injury is written for families, professionals and the community. It's goal is to open the door to possibilities for our citizens who have sustained brain injury due to toxins in the womb. While this is Liz Kulp's story, our hope is to open doors for you and your child. We want to help your family become strong and united rather the divided and fall. We want to provide your child "a chance to grow!"

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