When you have children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or effect, you come to expect the good days and the bad. You so appreciate the good days. Sometimes you become stuck thinking that is how your children should act all of the time. You may even think that your children could act that way if they wanted. Probably you are getting a glimpse of how your children would be if they had not been exposed to alcohol while forming. Unfortunately, they were exposed to alcohol and it has messed up their brains forever. Trust me; they are not any happier about it than you are.

While... more

I have been quite impressed by my 14-year-old daughter’s honesty during the last several visits we have made to her psychiatrist. With each visit, she seems to open up a little more to him. This is important for several reasons. First, she is nearing adulthood and would like to live on her own someday. Therefore, it is important for her to not only own her disability but also begin taking over the management of it. Secondly, the doctor cannot help her if she is not honest about how she is doing and feeling. While her doctor and I can see the outward results of her actions,... more

Over the 14 years of providing a foster home to children, we have gotten used to many behaviors. You might even be surprised to know what we consider normal that is unless you have been a foster parent to toddlers and older children yourself. The children with passive aggressive behaviors far outnumber the “in your face” outspoken children in foster care. The outspoken children will tell you where to shove it so you know exactly what they are thinking. The passive aggressive children say “yes” to your face, and then break something or make a mess. It no... more

Which infants have the highest risk of developing diabetes as they mature? Asians, Native Hawaiians, blacks, Hispanics, and other Pacific Islanders, have significantly higher risks of developing diabetes than whites do. Non-Hispanic whites have nearly an 8.7 percent chance of developing diabetes, while non-Hispanic blacks have a 13.3 percent chance. When you group all of the Hispanic/Latino population together they have... more

It’s happened to me several times. Someone in my world describes a child they find comparable in some way to LuLu. And without realizing it, invariably they end up telling me the child was internationally adopted.

“The other little peanut I had once,” says LuLu’s OT yesterday, “who reminds me so much of LuLu, was this sweet girl with Tourettes adopted from Russia.” I suspect the therapist’s comparison was focused on the fact that both girls had the diagnosis of Tourettes and had perseverative vocal tics that were very interesting. As she continued to tell me... more

Today’s children who are becoming teenagers are using inhalants more often than marijuana or prescription drugs. A new government report shows that inhaling common household products is the preferred way to get high for those becoming teenagers. According to health officials, household products like shoe polish, glue, aerosol air fresheners, hair sprays, nail polish, paint solvents, degreasers, gasoline, and lighter fluid are all possibilities for getting high. The results of the study were presented on Thursday at the National Press club in Washington, D.C. The National... more

Sexually transmitted diseases are in the news again shocking people with their skyrocketing numbers. A new government study suggests that over three million teenaged girls have at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD.) They say that boils down to one out of every four teenage girls having an STD. There is worse news yet if you look inside of those averages. Nearly half of all African American teenage girls have an STD compared to about 20 percent of Caucasian teenage girls. Then when we look at statistics for the sexual... more

I’m following an online conversation among adoptive parents. It all started with the announcement that one mom has an acquaintance who is looking to “rehome” their newly adopted child. There has been a flood of opinion about adoptive parents who would decide that they can’t/won’t parent a child, presumably because of his/her challenges.

There are parents who are totally appalled that these parents would “give up” on the child so quickly. There are others who hop into the fray announcing that they themselves have either dissolved an adoption or given it... more

Happy Chinese New Year (albeit a bit late). This is the Year of the Rat, a special occasion in our household, since LuLu was born in the year of the Rat. Unlike what we in Western cultures think, Rats hold a place of real honor in the ancient Chinese culture, and is the first animal of the Chinese zodiac. The legend contents that as the animals crossed the river to the Jade Emperor in a contest to see who would arrive first, it was the rat, clever fellow that he was, who climbed aboard the Ox’s back and then scurried... more

To finish the series on disability law, we need to look at the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Known to the general public as the act that caused all the handicapped parking spaces, ramps and wheelchair access restrooms, this act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, public accommodations, transportation and telecommunications.

The three basic obligations under ADA are to:

1. not discriminate based on disability.

2. provide effective communication to those with disabilities

3. provide physical access

The... more