Welcome to the FASD Family Preservation Blog. I first heard of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome while watching the 20/20 television program in 1990. I immediately went into shock when I heard Michael Dorris, author of the best seller, The Broken Cord, perfectly describe the behavioral pattern of my sixteen-year-old adopted son. My husband and I had good medical insurance and access to the best medical and mental health treatment in the country, but none of these professionals had ever been able to describe or understand our son’s pattern of behavior. Mr. Dorris was able to cut through all the inconsequential, peripheral medical/mental health symptoms and get right to the heart of what troubles families so deeply: the FASD Behavioral Phenotype. Tragically, Michael Dorris eventually took his own life after trying for so many years to help his disabled son, only to lose him in a pedestrian/car accident on a dark, cold night. My heart still aches for Michael and his family. Evidently being a passionate leader in this field and living with all the glaring publicity (both good and bad) that came along with his book and the TV movie, took its toll. But here at the FAS Family Resource Institute, we have not forgotten the tragic price he paid for blazing the public awareness trail for this behavioral phenotype. When we started our work in late 1990, we asked permission from Michael Dorris to quote the descriptive phrases that he created and he graciously gave us written permission to do so. With this beginning we went on to do many surveys, interviews and parent working retreats to gather, analyze and organize the Collective Family Experience into a body of information that would help affected individuals and families educate their service providers on the most effective ways to preserve their family relationships. The resulting information packets, brochures, books and newsletters are available on this website. But there is more good news for families. Today we are launching a new educational and support initiative called the FASD Family Preservation Blog. It is hosted by one of the charter members of our Board of Directors, Delinda McCann, who is the mother and guardian of an adult child diagnosed with FAS. Delinda is not only intelligent and very effective as an FASD advocate, she has a wit that will keep you laughing and entertained every day. Our mission has always been to help others identify, understand and care for people with FASD and to prevent future generations from having to live with this disability. But the specific purpose of this Blog will be to share and exchange information–directly or indirectly–to preserve family relationships, so that no other family need ever to be torn apart just because they live their lives in the FAS Lane.
Warm regards, Jocie DeVries