#actually fasd

[fuchsadler]

Brains are body parts. There are no able-bodied disabled people.

[hed-romancer]

for the love of god please can an adult with fasd talk with me about our experiences???

[alienshidinginatrenchcoat]

Overlapping behaviour characteristics of FASD & related mental health disagnoses in children

[divergentcircus]

Our dictionary! We know there is more we can add if you have any suggestions let us know we will add to our list! Hopefully you lernt something if you want to learn more join our discord chat with other nerodivergent people (anyone welcome) in a safe environment very fun very cool link pinned on page!!.

[redriverstyx]

turns out i have fasd (fabulous amazing silly disorder) 👍

[mogai-sunflowers]

Being genderless but being autistic with hyperfocus on queerness and finding the feeling of "genderlessness" very boring so you just do a little push to imagine what it would be like to have the genders you want to feel in the moment, a kind of "forced empathy". Very cool, I recommend. 5 stars.

honestly this is exactly how i realized i actually did have a gender adfadfs i hyperfixated on queerness so much that i started realizing i didn’t feel gender, only to realize i DID, i just didn’t know what typical gender felt like so i was genderqueer which is where all my hyperspecific xenogender-ness comes from sadfhladksfsh.

[crowwolf]

Expectations vs Reality

ok - so I need to just put this out there. Me making a Rolan will not happen fast. My life is kinda insane. I work full-time, I have MS (and other crap/MH stuff), hubs has Parkinson's, kiddo 1 (24) moved back home, kiddo 2 (21) doesn't live at home but has FASD and can be a lot, kiddo 3 (10) is just a plain active kiddo. Plus I have a pets. Our basement flooded - only and inch or two, but it was everywhere and won't be done anytime soon due to finding water seeping from one of the walls. Oh, and my mom got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

I could actually go on about my hot mess of a life, but I just want to put this out there to temper expectations. I'm super stoked about making Rolan, like crazy stoked. But - if I want to do it right, and take notes to possibly share the pattern if I manage it, then it's going to be months of work, probably. Maybe. Depends on energy, time, and funds. FUN! Most of my yarn was in my basement, so I'll have to pick up what I need as I go. For now, I have his body yarn (that sounds so weird).

I promise to post pictures of the progress. I'm very transparent - if I fuck it up, or life goes to shit, I'll say so. It may only be one or two folks interested, but that's enough for me! Is this my anxiety talking, absolutely. But I'm 50 and have few fucks left to give.

[cripplecharacters]

What would be your most general suggestions in order to write a character with intellectual disability respectfully and accurately? It’s hard to find many first hand accounts of people with IDs writing about what they’d like to see in these characters.

Hi, thanks for your question!

I will try to give a few general dos and don’ts on how to make an ID character - the question is vague so I won't be too specific but I hope you find something here helpful! First of all: please keep in mind that ID people are very different from each other in both personality and how exactly their disability impacts them. Some people won't be able to perform any ADLs (short for activities of daily living; things like bathing, dressing, using the bathroom or eating by yourself), some will be able to do all of them and a lot will be somewhere in-between. That makes it more complicated to figure out what is accurate and what not because it just varies greatly between people. Even people similar ability levels can be completely different - they can have different verbality levels, different physical conditions, some of them could be very stubborn while others could be the complete opposite and give up very fast, you get the picture.

What to do while writing:

Seems very obvious but make sure they're an actual character and not just their disability - give them a personality, relationships, hobby etc.

Portray the common signs of ID - a lot of us struggle with things like planning (especially long-term), organizing, abstract reasoning, problem-solving or are just slower with understanding/doing things in general. It's fine for your character to need help and ask for help with those things! They don't need to compensate for it with savant-like abilities or some amazing feats, it's ok for them to just be a regular person who struggles in some or most areas and gets adequate help so they can function better.

A lot of people with ID struggle with understanding language that isn't clear or simplified. Very elaborate sentence structure or weird wording can make it hard or impossible for your character to correctly understand what is spoken to them so if you want your characters to communicate properly they should probably use more clear speech. That doesn't mean babytalk or only giving them the bare minimum - try looking at this simplified version of this article to get an idea of what I mean (both links lead to Wikipedia). Simpler sentence structure and more common words make things more accessible.

Give your character agency over their identity and feelings. We can struggle with understanding things, but it doesn't mean we can't be gay, trans or any other LGBTQ+ identity and it's not fair to question our ability to do so. A person with ID should be able to decide about things regarding themself. Even if your character requires 24/7 care, they (ideally) should be able to have a say in who will be their caregiver, for example.

Getting someone's high needs met is not infantilization, it's just care. A character that needs help with bathing themself isn't "bad representation" or being treated like a child just because of it.

Make sure you look up how ID works medically so you don't commit any basic medical misinformation (like having it start in adulthood). Specifically look out to not confuse brain injury symptoms with ID. ID also doesn't directly affect someone's life expectancy on its own.

Connected to the last point, but you might want to try and decide on the cause of why the character has ID just because it will probably make your job as a writer a bit easier with figuring out what specific symptoms they might be experiencing. Someone who has ID because they went through severe meningitis as a little child might have different symptoms than someone born with Rett Syndrome. There are a lot of conditions that cause ID, but the most common are Down Syndrome, FASD and Fragile X Syndrome.

Try to remember: people with intellectual disability can be anyone and be anywhere! You can write a sarcastic autistic princess with ID, a loud love interest with Angelman Syndrome or a shy goth classmate with CRS and none of these would be “forced”.

What to NOT do:

Avoid the “always happy” character trope (goes double or even triple for characters with Down Syndrome because that's where it's the most prevalent). This one is a real issue with how people see real life intellectually disabled people. A character with ID should be allowed to have a full range of emotions just like everyone else.

Don't use the mental age theory - it's an ableist and harmful concept that claims that people with ID are mentally X years old (X never being their actual age). A 40-year-old character who can't eat or bathe by themself is 40 years old, not 3.

Avoid having your character compensate for their ID with some specific type of intelligence ("they're not booksmart but they have high emotional intelligence!) because that's neither how this works or what is helpful when it comes to representation. Your character shouldn't have to be smart "in some way" to be treated with respect.

Don't make your character extremely violent or brutal, especially if they're also unaware of what they're doing (basically don't make your character Lennie from of Mice and Men). I feel like this one is mostly about the impact on how some people see ID people (especially ID men of color) by painting them as inherently violent which is not true. That's not to say your character can't get into a fight but just try to be aware of this trope, especially if your character is marginalized in other ways as well.

Most people who seek any advice regarding writing disabled characters will probably know that using the r-slur is a big no, but words like moron, imbecile, feeble-minded or idiot also come directly from outdated medical terminology regarding intellectual disability. Personally, I'm very much against using them without acknowledging their origin and they can be genuinely upsetting to read.

Sorry it came out so long! I tried to put together both very basic advice and some more complex points so hopefully as much people as possible can take something away from this. If you have any more specific questions feel free to send another ask. good luck with your writing ❤️ (heart emoji)

mod sasza

[grahamkennedy]

Also actually. Speaking of the tags in my last post I wish more people knew that the official term is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. It's a spectrum, there is not a single Fetal Alcohol Syndrome diagnosis. As someone with a semi diagnosed fetal alcohol disorder (I'm not officially diagnosed, but it's hard to get a diagnosis here, and multiple professionals agree I have an FASD), you will not be able to tell everyone with a fetal alcohol syndrome just by looking at them. FASDs are disorders where you are physically and/or developmentally disabled due to exposure to alcohol during pregnancy, and though the common narrative is that you'll be able to tell who has a fetal alcohol syndrome by the way they look, you won't always, there are multiple disorders in the spectrum that have no physical symptoms.

People with FASDs are stigmatised for being the children of parents with alcohol issues, often have alcohol or other drug issues themselves, and have poorer outcomes due to disability.

FASDs are a neurodivergence much like ADHD (my 'official' diagnosis that'll hopefully be changed in the next few years) and autism (also diagnosed with that, but I have symptoms of autism that don't correlate with FASD symptoms so for now I'm keeping my own autism diagnosis).

People with FASDs deserve accommodations, understanding, respect and advocacy. We deserve to be acknowledged as falling under the neurodivergent umbrella. If you don't want to legitimise people with FASDs because of your ick about alcoholism and the children of alcoholism you can get fucked.

[fuchsadler]

Neurodivergent Mess

I am a neurodivergent mess. And I like identifying that way. I've been confirmed to be autistic. And that I have FASD has also kinda been confirmed, although I don't have an official diagnosis. But like I identify with ADHD very strongly as well. And although I'll never know whether I actually have all three of these things, I'll say I do. And that's why I like identifying, being a neurodivergent mess. Because if I say "I'm a neurodivergent mess" nobody can say no. Because that's what I am, a neurodivergent mess.

[cruiseshipmoment]

Charlie Kelly and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Part One

What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and how does it apply to Charlie Kelly? Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are a group of complex conditions that occur in people who were exposed to alcohol before birth. People with FASD may have distinct physical features as well as neurological differences that impact their behavior. Charlie Kelly meets criteria for having a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder based on his observable behavior and family history. There are several different conditions grouped under FASD, and the terminology is kind of a mess. The type of FASD Charlie has can be called Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder, Neurodevelopmental Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Other Specified Neurodevelopmental Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Effects, or simply FASD. Charlie does not meet the criteria for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, because you need specific physical features to be diagnosed with that one. For the purposes of this post series, I've used the DSM 5-TR provisional criteria for Neurodevelopmental Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, plus some supplemental notes. Fulfillment of this criteria would qualify him for a diagnosis of FASD. Criterion A. More than minimal exposure to alcohol during gestation, including prior to pregnancy recognition. We know that Mrs. Kelly is an alcoholic, and that she tried to get an abortion, but it "didn't take." It's highly likely that she drank while pregnant, knowingly or unknowingly, based on her medical history and Charlie's behavior patterns.

Criterion B3. Impaired neurocognitive functioning as manifested by impairment in learning: Charlie has two learning disabilities: dyslexia and dysgraphia. He really, really struggles to read. Dennis actually names the dyslexia in "The Gang Runs for Office." He also struggles with writing. Words are often out of order or missing altogether. Words that aren't spelled exactly the way they're pronounced are usually misspelled. He needs help to write something intelligible. The picture language he has is actually a great example of him trying to adapt. The issue is obviously not a lack of effort. B5. Impaired neurocognitive functioning as manifested by impairment in visual-spatial reasoning: Charlie struggles with telling left from right, as seen in "A Very Sunny Christmas." He also can't use a map, as seen in "The Gang Goes to a Waterpark." I also suspect that visual-spatial difficulties are part of the reason Charlie stops driving after season 3. We can see in "The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre" that he doesn't know how to avoid obstacles or operate a car when stressed, which would make driving difficult and unsafe. See here for part two, which contains the remainder of the criteria and the supplemental notes.

[stargazer-sims]

List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to 10 simblrs whose sims you adore ♥♥♥

Thanks @dandylion240 ! I started answering this and forgot it in my drafts for ages... sorry! But, I have new pictures of Haru now, so I guess this is a good time to finish it.

Sakuharu Abe

Haru has a learning disability due to a form of FASD known as alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. Although it hasn't impaired his actual intelligence, it significantly affects his ability to read, write and learn certain things. His disability also causes problems with impulse control, emotional regulation, attention and focus. This is a very well-kept secret, and is something the fans don’t know about, which is absolutely fine with Haru. He doesn’t really want the whole world knowing about it.

He didn't finish high school before he was recruited as a trainee by Peak Entertainment. He struggled in regular school classes that many of the other trainees were enrolled in, so the company management decided that it would be better for him not to go to classes with the others. Haru's grandparents really wanted him to finish his education though, and Haru was also determined to do it. He's been taking one online course at a time for a few years, working toward his goal of graduation.

He and his partner Eden have matching necklaces, each with a pendant that's half a heart-shaped puzzle piece. The two pieces fit together to form the entire heart shape. Eden's half has the kanji for Haru's name on it, and Haru's half has Eden's name on it.

He loves fan edits of his funny English fails, and if he's in a corner with his headphones on, laughing his head off, his friends know exactly what he's watching.

He loves practical jokes. Unfortunately, he and all the other group members live together and they don't all share his sense of humour.

[tomwambsmilk]

absolutely agree with you about the shiv drinking being a super separate thing to whether she keeps the baby and like the impact that will have. I think it's much more interesting even to look at it like "either she's already aborted it and is continuing as usual, or she feels immune to the consequences of drinking while pregnant," or something else more complicated and tangled. like Ming always says about succession being reproductive horror, the implications of her drinking are Much more interesting and nuanced than "she's trying to induce a miscarriage through drinking." and that is just looking at it from the media angle and not even from the. real life existence and repercussions of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Scrolling back through some old asks and this is from a week or so ago after I was posting about the 'shiv killing the baby with alcohol' jokes. Anyways. I wanted to come back to it because Shiv was maybe drinking again this week (other people have pointed out that in the scenes where she's holding alcohol, she tends not to definitively drink, which could be Shiv avoiding booze or could be Sarah Snook not actually drinking because she has lines, who knows). And I think you're right that, setting aside all the jokes and looking at the character and the narrative, yeah, I think both of those are strong possibilities. I'll also say that I know some doctors will advise that alcohol is okay in moderation, which - personally that's not a risk I'd take because of my experiences having family members with FASD, but I'm not a medical doctor I guess. So there is a third possibility where she's been advised that alcohol is okay 'in moderation', but because of how integral alcohol is to the way Waystar conducts business her idea of 'moderation' is very different than anyone else's. Still, it could contribute to the idea that FASD is something other women have to worry about, not her.

Or, it could be a 'fuck-it' response - in the bar before Logan dies she's drinking club soda, so it's very possible she didn't drink through that first 20 weeks. But her father just died and she's been told it's okay in moderation so fuck it, she'll have a few drinks, what the hell, it should be fine, right? It's just a temporary thing. In that case it could be associated with her grief, and could maybe be an indicator that she's anticipating her grief to be briefer than it actually will be - making the personal exception of 'I'll drink when I'm grieving and it'll be fine' only works if you expect your grief to last a few days, and not much more.

I will admit that there is a part of me that sees the logic of it being a sort of fetal russian roulette. I don't think Shiv wants to make a choice in either direction. On the podcast, Lucy Prebble said that being pregnant isn't necessarily bad news in itself - but it is horrendous timing. That makes a decision much harder than if no part of her ever wanted to be pregnant, especially if she isn't sure about the state of her marriage with Tom, and especially if she's not sure she'll ever find someone else, which I could see being a very real fear. There are obviously options for single women who want to have kids, but because of the dynastic implications of Roy pregnancies, I doubt Shiv would feel comfortable going the route of a sperm donor or adoption. Still, it's not how she wanted to have kids, if she had kids. And with the push-pull of those two influences, it certainly becomes easier if the decision is made for her. I could see her drinking as sort of a "if it's fine it's fine and if it's not it's not" sort of situation, consequently.

Tbh I'm not opposed to interpreting the drinking in light of the pregnancy - I was mostly just a bit upset about people making light of something that has had such serious impacts on my life and the lives of the people that I love. It's one thing for Shiv the character to be flippant or unconcerned about it, but the 'kill it with booze' jokes just rubbed me the wrong way because of my own experiences

[scoopsgf]

“come to think about it, jess actually does exhibit some behaviours associated with FASD, but i doubt that was intentional on ASP’s part.” absolutely on my knees groveling and begging for you to tell me more about the traits jess exhibits of FASD… bestie… 🙏

okay SO! a quick bit of background info:

typically children with FASD exhibit abnormal facial features, but beyond milo’s dead nerves, jess doesn’t have any of those. however, he does show a lot of the behavioral and cognitive issues associated with FASD, such as:

ignoring the chronic unemployment one ofc. it’s possible that he might fall into the ARND category (alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder) of FASD (which is sort of an umbrella term to cover different types of alcohol-related disorders). anyway, as i said before i sincerely doubt any of this was intentional by ASP, i just thought it was interesting that jess actually does display some of the behaviors associated w children who were exposed to alcohol in the womb.

[hed-romancer]

complicated feelings about my fasd

so i've been thinking a lot lately about my fasd and how that affects my life and like. doing research about it is so painful because most of it is just "fasd sucks so pregnant people don't drink please!!" and that's never going to change the fact that i already exist with fasd.

and fasd isn't like autism or adhd. so many people hate their fasd, hate that they have something preventable. and that's valid, but i actually don't hate my fasd?

yeah there's parts to it i don't like. I don't like how much i interrupt conversations because reading social queues is hard and i'm impulsive as hell. i don't like how anxious and depressed i am.

but there's also parts of it i do like! i like how i'm funny because i say stuff before my anxiety can stop me. i've had 14 jobs in five years and i like how i'm always trying something new, never staying anywhere i don't want to be. i like how i'm not scared to go for what i want or share my interest in niche things.

but no one wants you to like your fasd. pregnant people shouldn't drink! that means everyone with fasd must have shit lives because drinking while pregnant is Wrong and Bad Things happen when you do the wrong thing.

but no. i don't hate my fasd. i don't hate my life and i don't hate myself. why does that feel so radical sometimes?