Tips
For Adults With FASD
© 2003
My
personal opinion is that most of the problems people with FASD experience are
from disabilities of memory and mood.
Memory
Most
people with FASD have trouble with short-term memory. That means they forget
from moment to moment what they are supposed to be doing. Their long-term memory
is usually better. That is the ability to remember facts.
To
help your short-term memory try to use a day planner of some kind, carry the
planner wherever you go and make sure you write down appointments and tasks as
they come up.
Follow
a schedule, make a routine for yourself and try to follow it daily. Write down
the schedule so you can look at it easily and put writing in your day planner on
your schedule. Always make time to organize your day, no matter how busy you get
take the time to follow your schedule and write down your tasks in your day
planner. This is a site that helps people organize
their housework. It might help organize in other ways too. You can always change
it to fit your life. http://www.flylady.com/
Mood
Make
sure you get plenty of rest, exercise, drink plenty of water and eat a balanced
diet. Try to stay away from refined carbohydrates like sugar and white flour. A
lot of people have found they feel better when they do and blood sugar
problems are common in people with FASD.
Try
and keep your environment low sensory stimulation.
Try not to have too much clutter, bright colors, sounds and activity. Keep
everything as simple as possible. If you get bored, try to focus on a useful
task instead of cluttering up your environment and seeking lots of stimulation.
Remember
it’s “normal” for people with FASD to be moody.
If you feel that your mood is out-of-sorts, don’t
panic. Generally, it will pass, just give yourself good messages and tell
yourself that you will feel better soon. Try and find
a soothing task that helps your mood. Many people with FASD
like art or music and have interests that they explore. Exercising is
relaxing too.
Never
use substances like alcohol, tobacco and caffeine to manage your moods. They are
addictive and bad for your health. Being addicted is very, very common in people
with FASD. Never “self-medicate” with substances, legal or illegal, they are
a quick fix but will cause more problems than they solve. If you already have an
addiction, find someone who can help steer you to someplace
to get treatment. If you have avoided addiction, you are way ahead of most
people with FASD, congratulations!
If
you can’t manage your moods on your own you may
need to be medicated with prescription drugs. Many people with FASD take
medications to manage their moods. Remember, don’t
self-medicate, find a doctor to help you. You may have to try several
medications before finding what works best for you.
Advocate
You
will have to educate yourself about your disability so you can educate others
and tell them what you need to be successful. Remember it is not your fault, you
didn’t ask to be born with brain damage and you
have a right to be treated fairly, especially at work. When you feel
comfortable, you need to let the people at work know about your disability.
Chances are they have noticed already that your brain doesn’t
work like the average person’s brain does and that might interfere with your
ability to hold down a job.
Get
a diagnosis if you don’t have one. It might help
you to become eligible for accommodations at work as you need them and you may
be eligible for services from the state too. But, to
qualify for both you need to have a diagnosis.
If
you don’t have a good support network around you,
think about joining a church or other religious community. A
lot of people with FASD have found that to be very helpful in more ways
than one.
Stay
away from people that upset you, who do illegal activities, or who use
substances (legal or illegal). People with FASD are generally very friendly and
want to help others, but you will only hurt yourself if you include people in
your life who use substances (including alcohol) or do illegal activities.
Some
of what I wrote might not apply to your life. Here is the web address for
an adult with FASD who is an advocate for all of us. I know he would love to
hear from you. http://www.fasflight.com/
California Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Organization
http://www.calfas.org/