Damage Done
Part of being a foster parent is knowing that the kids that come into our homes have a base level of trauma. That's just, out of the gate, trauma due to removal. But then there comes the trauma with the background a lot of the kids come from. The domestic violence, substance abuse, neglect, etc - it all causes trauma.
We're warned about this trauma but I know in my case, I was never trained for trauma. I was never trained for the heartbreak that comes with loving a child with trauma. I was never trained to find the help my kiddos need. I was never trained on how to parent a child with special needs. I never knew this was what I was signing up for.
But the damage is done. I have a child with special needs. And the damage is already done to him. The more I learn about him and his disabilities, the more I know I was put in his path so we both would find what we needed.
The damage done to my Little Man is not repairable. These last few months have been ones of ups and downs. We've done a lot of appointments and testing. We've come back with autism and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). On top of his already diagnosed issues (severe ADHD, OCD, etc).
The big one is FASD. This is not repairable. There is no drug that counters the effects of alcohol ingested by his mother during her pregnancy. There is so much we will have to teach him in order for him to live as independently as possible.
The autism diagnosis is just as big and added with FASD means he will always need a bit extra help. He'll need to be taught differently than others. He needs a bit more patience. I am learning a lot about both of his diagnoses. It's a lot to digest even in layman's terms. It's going to require a lot from everyone, Little Man included.
We're warned about this trauma but I know in my case, I was never trained for trauma. I was never trained for the heartbreak that comes with loving a child with trauma. I was never trained to find the help my kiddos need. I was never trained on how to parent a child with special needs. I never knew this was what I was signing up for.
But the damage is done. I have a child with special needs. And the damage is already done to him. The more I learn about him and his disabilities, the more I know I was put in his path so we both would find what we needed.
The damage done to my Little Man is not repairable. These last few months have been ones of ups and downs. We've done a lot of appointments and testing. We've come back with autism and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). On top of his already diagnosed issues (severe ADHD, OCD, etc).
The big one is FASD. This is not repairable. There is no drug that counters the effects of alcohol ingested by his mother during her pregnancy. There is so much we will have to teach him in order for him to live as independently as possible.
The autism diagnosis is just as big and added with FASD means he will always need a bit extra help. He'll need to be taught differently than others. He needs a bit more patience. I am learning a lot about both of his diagnoses. It's a lot to digest even in layman's terms. It's going to require a lot from everyone, Little Man included.
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