If Mom drank she should be specifically tested for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). We had to go to a special clinic for Sonic but we did. S sounds maybe alcohol affected in my opinion. I would not diagnose as I cant but even a little alcohol in utero can cause brain damage which can impact things like cognitive function, impulsivity, even the ability to remember things they learned. Memory.
Other red flags are how tiny she is. Many slcohol affected kids are very small. Some (not all) have dysmorphic features, especially eyes snd ears.
Obviously this is a physical disorder so psychiatrists are not good at catching it. Very often fetal alcohol spectrum kids drink too much and drug in spite being warned that they are prone to addiction. Even C can be affected.
Sonics birthmom was a raging drug addict who had four drug affected kids before him. They say that the younger kids tend to get more affects as the parental addicton gets worse. I dont know where S is in birthmoms family tree. But Sonic was fifth and had crack in his system at birth. And if his birthmom said yes to crack she obviously didnt stop drinking. I read that alcohol is more damaging to a developing fetus than street drugs. So we made sure he was tested. We were prepared. Or thought we were lol.
Fortunately Sonic has the important ability to make good choices and is smart. He does have high functioning autism and his ears sit very low on his head. He looks normal otherwise. But I am sure some of his spending impulsivity and inability to control overeating is a brain difference. And the drugs his birthmom ingested while pregnant did affect him.
S is probably too old for you to take her for this type of neurological exam....my guess is she wouldnt go. But some of the bad decisions she makes are possibly due to the alcohol pre birth. Thus she would need a lot of adult help even to hold a job. But she has to be willing.
Of course I am no expert. I just saw lots of experts with Sonic and read up on this stuff because of him. We knew in advance that our new precious little boy would have special needs and we wanted to learn as much as we could about what to expect. Haha nobody prepared us to not sleep for two years
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
He can sleep now fortunately.
The great clinic Sonic went to for diagnosis is in Chicago. If you live near there and want the name just PM me.
Its pretty hard to be alcohol exposed in utero and come out fine. And psychiatrists dont know much about it. Its not their field. This is genuine varying degrees of organic brain damage. Ive seen quite a few kids afflicted badly when I was in the adoptive parent group. Fortunately our Sonic was not ruined from having a full life. Many are. And its not our faults. Or theirs.
Just my .02. I wish I did not know this much about fetal alcohol spectrum.
Love to you and yours. S if she has it sounds like she is higher functioning but she makes very dangerous life decisions, which is typical for Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) kids, if she is one.
Love to one of life's earth angels with a heart of gold. Please know that I realize Iay be way off. I hope you are not offended.