Al4 - The Terrace Standard,

Wednesday, May 13, 1998

Parent shame a barrier
to kids receiving help

By ANITA DOLMAN
THE SHAME of parents ad-
mitting they drank during
pregnancy is the main bar-
rier to diagnosing and help-
ing many of the victims of
Fetal Alcohol syndrome
(FAS).

That was one of the mes-
Sages from a regional con-
ference last week at North-
west Community College on
FAS and Fetal Alcohol Ef
fects (FAE) and their im-
pacts on children,

The stigma of having to
admit to having a child with
FAS has kept many people
from gelting help, confer-
ence participants said.

‘*There are social and cul-
tural taboos to admitting
your kids have FAS or
FAE,”’ says Gwen Charron,
mother of two FAS chil-
dren,

Participants and
organizers of the conference
also expressed their concern
over the lack of information
available about this condi-
tion

“The theme of this con-
ference is that this is an in-
visible population,’’? says
Dianne Malbin, the clinical
social. worker and lecturer
who taught the conference.

“We know that in the
States it is underdiagnosed
but it is still considered the
leading cause of mental
retardation,”’ says Malbin,
who is also the mother of a
FAE child.

Malbin says that estimates
of the number of people af-
fected are impossible, She
says much of this is due to
misdiagnosis by doctors,
whom she says are slaw to
diagnose a child as having
FAS or FAE out of lack of
information about the condi-
tions and out of fear of ac-
cusing the parents.

“Attention Deficit Dis-
order, mental health and be-
havioural problems may all
actually be FAS,” says
Malbin of some diagnoses.

FAS and FAE are caused
when children are affected
before birth by toxic sub,
stances. Some recent re-
search has also indicated it
may be possible for damage
to be done to genetic
material, including the fa-
ther's, even before concep-
tion,

Malbin = sites statistics
saying that approximately
80 per cent of all people
drink and approximately 90

‘per cent of all people don’t

plan their pregnancy.

‘Between 16 and 60 per
cent of people drink enough
during pregnancy lo pose a
risk,”’ says Malbin.

The week-long conference
has already led to the crea-
tion ofa local support group
for people with FAS and
FAE, or their parents and
families.

Many of the effects, part
ticularly of FAE, surface in
behaviour, mental health
and learning problems,

If He Only Knew
How Many People
“Ave Helping Him

i ee eS

ehind every person with
Aleheimer Dissase. here are
Iniulivds of people deleted te
lelysinge. Thee Mbeteinier Siciety is
nonatiansvide nenwerk af ppeuvinie
cial organizations, loval chapters.
suppor groups andl volumteors
committe’ to providing flefp - for
those with the disease ane) their
caregivers, Through on-going pru-
grins and funding far research.
the Alsheinier Society is muaking
progress andl keeping its jronnise:
to provitle fils for tad, hope
fer tontoriiw,

Please Help The

Alzheimer Society.

FAS CONFERENCE organizers {left to right} Dena Smith, Leila Jormanainen,
teacher Dianne Malbin and Maggie Kovach. The team were happy with the out-
come of the conference, which was designed to teach people about Fetal Alcohol

Syndrome and its effects.

which means it gets treated
differently than other dis-
abilities.

“These kids have a physi-
cal handicap and condition,
They benefit from the same
strategies that bencfit others
with physical handicaps -
for example environmental
adaptation,” says Malbin.

“When their physical”
handicap only shows up in
behaviour we just tell them
to stop that,’”

FAS is defined according
to three criteria:

i Smaller size and weight
in children before or after
birth.

Wi Evidence of central ner-

a!

vous system problems (in-
cluding, among athers,
learning disabilites, poor
coordination, mental retar-

dation and behavioral dys-
function).
HW Other physical ab-
normalities.

The definition used by
Malbin for FAE is a child
with a history of prenatal al-
cohol exposure but not all
the physical or behavioral

problems of FAS.
One. of the conference’s
goals was to identify,

resources, supports and pos-
sible gaps in services and to
develop strategies for ad-
dressing these. .

“These kids can live
healthy, productive lives
with proper social support,’
says Dena Smith, con-
ferance organizer.

The 50 conference
participants included
teachers, parents, nurses, so-
cial workers, program de-
velopers, drug and alcohol
treatment professionals and
native friendship centre staff
from across the northwest.

Anyone interested in the
FAS/FAE support group can
contact Joanne Weget at
638-6383, Information on
FAS and FAE is also avail-
able at the Kermode Friend-
ship Centre.

~ NORTHWEST COAST ARTISTS!!! _

INVITATION TO BID
Smithers Secondary School (School District #54) and the
Witsuwit'en Gidimt’enyu (Grizzly) Clan would like to invite all
Northwest Coast style carvers to bid for the following project.

“Bridging the Gap Totem Pole Project”
The successful Artist will carve the pole within the
school year of 1998-1999, The following are
specilics and expectations for bids.

7, Drawing of a 20' pole with 2' base. The pole will
have a iotal of 6 erests which are as foliows; (1)
Seated Grizzly Bear, (2) Bentwood Box, (3)
Standing Grizzly, (4) Wolf, (&) Smithers
Secondary Schoo! Gryphon Crest, and (6) Big
Frog Crest. (*”*This is based on an original
Gidimt'enyu Chief's Pole that once stood at
Hagwilget Canyon) “~

2, Estimated cost of labour for carving the pole,

‘cost of the tools and cost of the materiais.

3, Estimated timeline for carving the totem pole
(within the dates of Oct. ('98-Jun. '99)
Throughout the project the successful Artist may
be working with an assistant artist and teachers.
During the school year, students from
Kindergarien to Grade 12 will visit the project.

‘4. Photographic examples of recent sculptural

accepted until 4:00 p.m. June 16,
1998. All bids will be opened 3:30 June 17,
1998.

Lowest or any tender will not necessarily be
accepted.

The commencement af this project is subject
to the availability of sufficient funds.

Mail Address

Smithers Secondary School

Totem Pole Project

Box 849, Smithers, B.C., VOJ 2NO

Hand Deliver to:

Smithers Secondary Schoo!

4400-3rd Avenue, Smithers, B.C.

Va ¢—2'-—>

All interested Artists may contact: _
Christine Dickinson, S.S.S. Principal at (250) 847-2231 or Warner Nazlel,
SD#54 Cultural Resource Coordinator at (250) 647-2211 for more information.

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