Jasmine Suarez-O'Connor on living with FASD
Short Summary:
Jasmine Suarez-O'Connor shares her experiences living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Key points include her early diagnosis and the subsequent interventions (speech and occupational therapy) that helped her. She discusses challenges faced in school and college, highlighting difficulties with memory, focus, and social cues. Her current struggles as a working mother with FASD are also discussed, emphasizing the need for understanding and support. The summary also highlights her advocacy for others with FASD, urging people to see past unusual behaviors and recognize the person's inherent worth. No specific technologies are mentioned.
Detailed Summary:
The transcript details Jasmine's life journey with FASD, starting with her adoption at 2.5 months old.
Section 1: Early Life and Diagnosis: Jasmine was adopted into the Conor family and displayed early signs of FASD, such as sleeping for 24 hours a day. She received an early diagnosis at age three, leading to crucial interventions like speech and occupational therapy. This early intervention significantly impacted her development and ability to navigate life.
Section 2: School and Academic Challenges: Jasmine describes difficulties focusing in school, experiencing distractions and memory issues. She details specific examples, such as counting ceiling tiles to cope with anxiety during tests. An Individualized Education Program (IEP) provided extended time on tests and eventually, testing in a separate setting to minimize distractions. While she excelled in sports like softball, basketball presented challenges due to her inability to memorize plays. Despite these challenges, she graduated high school.
Section 3: College and Motherhood: College proved difficult due to living with alcoholic roommates, leading to her dropping out. She became pregnant and is now a mother of a toddler. This section highlights the significant challenges of balancing work (two jobs) and motherhood while managing FASD. She relies heavily on her mother's support. A significant anecdote involves a doctor's insensitive suggestion that a glass of wine during pregnancy is acceptable, highlighting a lack of understanding and awareness surrounding FASD.
Section 4: Workplace and Social Interactions: Jasmine discusses the need for jobs that accommodate her needs, preferring physically active roles over office work. She explains her difficulties with social cues, sometimes misinterpreting jokes as anger. She also addresses the frustrating experience of people talking to her slowly and patronizingly, assuming she doesn't understand.
Section 5: Advocacy and Conclusion: Jasmine emphasizes the importance of seeing past unusual behaviors and recognizing the inherent worth of individuals with FASD. She stresses that people with FASD are individuals with souls and should be treated with respect and understanding. Her concluding statement is a powerful plea for empathy: "I just want people to know that they are people okay... and to not just disregard them because they say something weird or have a weird Behavior don't over look them like that."