pebbles project living with fetal alcohol syndrome

Pebbles ProjectLiving with

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

The Beginning: M-Term 2006

Apartheid

Dop System:South African Wineries

“I was drinking constantly. The money I spent on drinking I could have easily spent on my child.” - Loala, farm worker

“My mom used to drink a lot when I was little. When it got dark, I would go out to look for her.” - Melvino, Loala’s son

“Our son saw us drinking and carrying on. At that point we realized we had to stop drinking because we were mad at our son for doing bad things, but we as parents were responsible for him. We werent showing him respct, so what respect could he have for us?” -Lilly, farm worker

“I want to show my family I can do better than stand on a the farm with a spade.” - Johan, Lilly’s son, potentially has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in South Africa

How much is

too much?What causes different results:

Dose - response relationship

Timing

Drinking Pattern

Mother and Child Vulnerabilities How the brain is attacked:

Cell Destruction

Amino Acids

Hormone Regulatory Systems

What does this mean for a child?

CNS Dysfunctions

Processing and Mental Motor Functioning

Neurobehavioral Disorders

Reduced size and malformations are the most visible aspects of FAS, but mental retardation and neuropsychological disturbances seem to be the most serious defects.

In The Real World

Adam Dorris and Liz Kulp

“I am adopted and my mom died so no one will ever know how much or how often my

mom drank. I just know I have to live with it.”

“The things I can remember is when I was held at a foster home I was on the floor

playing with tracks and as I was playing a man came through the doorway and was standing right there I looked up and sure

enough it was my father.”

Diagnosis • Criteria:

– Growth deficiency – Facial abnormalities– CNS damage– Pattern of cognitive and behavorial

deficitsPlus some presumed history of significant

prenatal alcohol exposure

FAS Face

And what about FAE? ARND?

• ARND - Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder

• FAE - Fetal Alchol Effects• PFAE - Possible Fetal Alcohol Effects

Around the WorldNorth America:

Native Americans: 10.3 / 1,000 live birthsIn the United States, only 2.2/1,000 non- native

children are born with FAS each yearEurope:

Sweden: 1/600 children born with FAS (twice as much with FAE)

Russia: 20,000 born with FAS / year Germany: 8,000 children born to alcoholic mothers

and 2,200 with full blown FASFrance: 6,000/year Switzerland: 170-205 born with FASIreland: 177-354 born with FAS and 1,700 born with

any alcohol- related disorder

Cures? Help?What can be done?

Pebbles Project

It is one thing to be born unhealthy, and it is another thing to be born into poverty, but to be unhealthy and critically impoverished… well that’s what is

being dealt with.

Sponsor A Child Program

Thanks to:

• Jody Heneveld • Kelly McMahon • Devon Parkes, Ken Sacks,

and Jen Cross• Liz Dobbs, Marie Smith,

and the Ross School café • Sophia Warner and

Pebbles Project• Mom, Dad, and Alina

• Tate’s Bakery, Junos’ Hampton Bakery, Paul’s Italian Restaurant, La Parmigana, Foody’s, The Pizza Place, Conco D’oro, Golden Pear, Astros, Schmidt’s, Pepperonis/Sausages, Barristers, Lisa Smith, CW Mercantile

• Alex Aldredge, Loryn Fridie, Alexia Greenwood, Megan Enck, Lilly Merat, Johanna Saldana, Lucile Culver, Grace Walsh, Jodie Bisasor, Rachel Zofcin, Alexa Barrett, Alaya Brown, Patricia Milliagan, Max Feldshuh, Tomas Majcherski, Raphael Shapiro