The other night I was watching a late night CSI: NY episode while folding laundry. It was the usual murder-mystery plot - this one involving a magician who was committing several well-planned murders against people he felt had betrayed him.
When the detectives started to suspect the magician, they did some research into his past. They claimed he had been adopted after his mother died in childbirth. His adoptive mother surrendered him when he was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, "which is characterized by irrational behavior and violent rages" , because she feared for her own birth child's safety. Later, they said that people with FAS "have poor cause and effect thinking and an inability to distinguish fantasy from reality." Because this man felt rejected by his family, he lashed out and killed two friends and his adoptive mother.
I have so many objections to this portrayal of FASD, not the least of which is the negative portrayal of those who live with this disability. Don't our children face enough challenges integrating into society without the added stigma of being associated with violent, sociopathic murderers? (To be honest, the character I saw portrayed seemed much more consistent with RAD than FASD.)
Yes, some of these symptoms are seen in children and adults with FASD, but this in no way tells the whole story. Do they rage? Sometimes, but it is generally more a symptom of frustration and sensory overload, than a focused, murderous attack. Do they behave irrationally? There are days when it would seem so, but just because thought processes may not follow the "normal" path doesn't make them irrational. Are they unable to distinguish fantasy from reality? I haven't seen it, though sometimes my daughter misreads social or visual cues and becomes convinced of something we know isn't actually true. The only one that really hits the nail on the head is "poor cause and effect thinking," which I see in my daughter every day.
The crimes in the show were very carefully planned, very detailed and cruel. My daughter wouldn't hurt a fly, and is such a sweet, caring, and forgiving soul (when she doesn't hate me). And I have to tell you there is no way my daughter would be able to pull together something that complicated. Frankly, she'd get about 5 minutes into plotting and would be distracted by a butterfly.
Now, I know that FASD has a multitude of variations and manifestations. What I see in my child may be very different from what you see in yours. But this kind of portrayal paints an overly simplified picture of a complex disability. I suppose it is good that Hollywood is at least aware that FASD exists, but I'd much rather see an opportunity for a complex, honest portrayal of FASD which educates, than this sensationalized version.
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4 comments:
I agree, but we will probably have to wait for an "After School Special". Prime time TV rarely bothers to capture the whole of anything!
I think this episode aired once before because I remember reading about it somewhere. I didn't see it and that's probably a good thing.
While I am usually thankful for media attention to the problem of prenatal exposure, this isn't helpful. Portraying only the extreme behaviors without any insight into the reasons or the person behind them is wrong.
Thanks for all you do to help people understand, Heather. Those of us who love someone with FASD can do much to help the world understand and care.
~Kari
Ouch - I would agree that the overlap of RAD and FASD could potentially bring out the worst - but there is more to the story than just the diagnosis. If we start a letter campaign perhaps Oprah could do the positive side before she leaves.... Also the level of organization and thought process to commit these types of crimes isn't really realistic, granted alot of FASD people have normal IQ's, but the still have difficulty processing in the correct order - a crime done on impulse or with a kneejerk reaction I could see - with the lack of cause/effect but not a planned out scenerio.
i hate it when they distort things. they did an episode once on a young girl who had turner syndrome (which my daughter has on top of fasd), and they made it seem really crazy and was way out of line. this is what they like to do, sensationalize things and mess with our countries perception of things. bummer.
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