People love to label FASD as “behavior” or “motivation,” but that story falls apart the minute you listen to someone living it. Ann sits down with Patricia “Patti” Kasper, author of 4D Living With FASD: Shared Voices, Clear Understanding, for a candid, practical conversation about what fetal alcohol spectrum disorder really looks like across the brain and the entire body and why abilities can shift from one day, or even one hour, to the next.
We dig into prenatal alcohol exposure as a whole-body issue, the long shadow of stigma, and why so many people never get identified unless they show visible markers. Patti breaks down how misdiagnosis happens, why “scattered findings” in testing can actually be a hallmark, and why a single IQ score can hide the real challenges of adaptive functioning, executive function, and working memory. If you’ve ever heard “you’re too smart for that” and felt the shame hit like a wall, you’ll recognize exactly what we mean.
Then we get into Patti’s 4D framework: the neuroprint and physical profile, the energy battery and metabolic tax, the environment (including sensory demands and invisible expectations), and the role of time as needs and supports change across life stages. You’ll also hear about her neuroprint passport idea and the wildflower metaphor that replaces “damaged goods” thinking with a strengths-based view of resilience.
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