Jon and Desi 2011
- For Prescribed Medications:
SELF- DIRECTION
- Jon does not maintain healthy relationships. He is easily talked into inappropriate situations — skipping school.
(Added Comment by Terry Quinn- Jon will go with a stranger if the stranger offers money. This did happen one time.)
- Jon ‘reacts’ to situations in which he is frustrated or uncomfortable. There have been two occasions at school where Jon has slammed doors and hit people causing them physical harm. He also throws items. Jon reacts without processing the possible results of his actions.
- Jon is not able to independently arrange medical appointments. He is unable to identify the names of his doctors or the way in which they can be contacted. Jon cannot remember the date and time of appointments.
- Jon does not follow through with decisions. He makes appointments to meet at certain days and times but is unable to remember the arrangements therefore does not follow through. He also jumps from one task to another without fully finishing the first.
- Jon does not comprehend the cause and effect of decisions. This is a documented part of his disability. He will spend an entire weeks paycheck on a tattoos without regards to the fact that he will then have no money to spend for the rest of the week.
- Jon continually repeats inappropriate behaviors in spite of regular consequences. He is has multiple suspensions from school for repeated behaviors. Another example is Jon having multiple no shows at work — if it were not for the communication between Jon’s mother and his manager he would not continue to have his part time job.
ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY
- Jon is unable to appropriately budget his money. He cannot approximate how much money needs to be saved in order to pay bills throughout the month. Jon lives ‘in the moment’ and does not understand that he needs to save money for expenses later in the month or even later in the week.
- Jon needs frequent prompting to be on time. He has to be prompted minute by minute to get ready and be ready on time for his ride to work and school — example — Jon get dressed you have 10 minutes; Jon brush your teeth you have 5 minutes; Jon put your shoes on you have 2 minutes — and he has to have a count down while performing tasks … ex: Jon you have 2 minutes left to finish getting dressed. He is often late to class because he gets distracted and loses all track of time to get to class — a special plan had to be created for Jon because of his excess tardies to class.
- Jon has had numerous no show/no calls to work. He would have lost his job long ago without the open communication between his mother and his manager.
I am very grateful to Jenn, Jon’s teacher for all the help that she has given to us. She is an angel.
However last night Jon came home totally stoned out on pot. I was shocked that he would come home in that state. He usually tries to hide this behavior, even though we have highly suspected that he was doing it.
I was flabbergasted! I have a 17 year old daughter, Deserai, whom I can’t set an example, that it is ok to live here and get high. So I had to send him out. He is likely living at his drug friend’s home now.
I feel like I am loosing one child right now, and I could not stand to loose two.
Sadly this is the course for many parents of children who have FASD. They were born drug addicts and when they pick up that drug later in life, they take off where they left off in the womb.
How much more do I now want to spread this message, that it is so unsafe to drink while pregnant. If you are pregnant and drinking, you are sentencing your child for life of pain. Please, PLEASE hear my heart. Give your child a chance. This world is not an easy place to be in when you don’t have that against you. Having FASD just makes it that much harder.
This mom has a huge ache in her heart tonight and all I can do is pray. That is a big thing though, for I know that God gave Jon to us and therefore, I have to trust HIM that God has a way out of this mess for Jon.
Lord, please put your biggest and strongest angels with Jon now. Stop him from any danger. Deliver him from the desire to use drugs. Open his brain up to see the danger he is acting out. Give him a chance God. Please, give him a chance………