November 24, 1999
Families, health organizations deal with FAS
Mom works with her children to overcome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Three years ago, Kristy Brownell stopped drinking. Now firmly in recovery and with an extensive support system, she has turned her life around and knows she will never get drunk again.
Three of her children, however, have a permanent hangover from her drinking and will live their lives in the shadow of alcohol.
When Brownell drank during each of their pregnancies, her children's physical and neurological development were altered by the alcohol. Life for Scott, Nicki and Austin, ages 7, 5 and 4, will forever be defined by their struggle with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder.
"Two children on an everyday basis, I have to reteach how to dress," Brownell said. "Every time they want to go outside, you have to tell them not to cross the road. Every time. They have all the ADHD symptoms and more - behavior modification plans do not work."
"This is not something that when they are born or done being kids will go away. It is something they are going to live with the rest of their lives."
FAS is not just about being mentally retarded or having some of the characteristic physical effects, including shorter stature, low weight or altered facial or hand features. Any combination of these things may or may not present. The syndrome is an overall, profound rewiring of an infant's brain in ways that can be either readily apparent or extremely subtle.
In Brownell's family, Scott is very bright so he gets bored easily. He has trouble sitting still and retaining information. He mainly uses his quick mind to relearn things he has already learned, over and over again. Austin is more withdrawn and exhibits compulsive behaviors such as hand washing or lip licking, similar to an autistic child.
She and her fiancee, Ron Croy, spend all day, every day when they are not working helping the older children learn to live. With her fourth child she did not drink at all and sees that, Brianna, 1, is as different from the other three as night and day.
"The older children's brains are going all the time but they have a hard time following one thought pattern from start to finish," said Brownell, who keeps her children on a strict daily schedule to give them the structure they need. "This has altered the way I parent because normal advice from parent magazines or psychologists doesn't work. So you have to reinvent the rules routinely."
Brownell is just 24 years old, having married at 16. To cope with an abusive relationship she drank. And as is common in that situation, the abuse increased when she was pregnant and consequently, her drinking increased at those crucial times.
She had no idea her drinking could cause any harm, she was just trying to survive. Even her level of drinking was not what most would consider staggering, just a few large glasses of wine every few days. But that amount is far stronger on a baby in the womb, where the alcohol concentrates at a level much higher than in the mother's blood and the baby's tiny liver processes it so slowly. She now knows that a relaxing buzz for the mother can be a lifetime buzz for a baby.
Now that Brownell understands the danger of drinking while pregnant, there will never be a pregnant woman who crosses her path who will escape knowing about the possibility of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. She shares her story freely in the hopes that others will avoid her mistakes.
"When I see pregnant women who drink now or are buying alcohol in the grocery store, I open my mouth," said Brownell, who aspires to be a nurse to help others in this situation. "I tell it like it is and I don't sugar coat it. I say, 'You are killing your baby's brain cells and your child could be brain damaged for the rest of his life.' People need to just not sweep it under the rug and not get involved."
This is a problem that cannot be swept under the rug after a certain point. In fact, many children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder wind up in foster care or with adoptive families as their birth mother's alcoholism often makes her unable to parent.
Sally Sanford of Fife Lake adopted a family of three siblings seven years ago, all of whom have been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder and other disabilities. Her youngest son, 'John,' 9, was a handful from the first day, throwing severe temper tantrums that never seemed to end over the smallest provocation. When these tantrums disrupted the household, sometimes 20 times a day, she looked for help.
She considers herself lucky to have found child psychiatrists and psychologists familiar with FAS who gave John a diagnosis early. The early intervention and ongoing services John has received have made a huge difference in his life. John successfully completed a year at the New Campus School and is now attending a special program at Central Grade School. His two siblings are also in special programs and doing well.
"They've just come a long ways, every day you can sit back and watch the growth and the blossoming," Sanford said. "Then something happens and it is gone. My kids are fortunate because they are disabled 'enough' to get services, but many kids are still falling through the cracks."