Sip by Sip

"What an incredibly insightful book that speaks from the hearts of a special population of individuals who have been diagnosed as adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)... Patti Kasper has put together an outstanding book. She has been able to bring her own unique point of view to an extraordinarily complex subject in a way from which we can all benefit and learn."

Kenneth Lyons Jones, MD, Distinguished Emeritus Professor, Department of Pediatrics University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA

As a foster and adoption social worker, Patricia Kasper wanted to understand why so many children in the foster care system fall between the cracks. A lifelong learner, she ultimately dove into the study of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, or FASD, which affects 5% of the general population, but up to 70% of youth in foster care. Indeed, Patricia learned that 80% of youth with an FASD are not raised by their parents, and that 86% are either un- or mis-diagnosed.

The training Patricia took was revolutionary, as not only did it explain why so many children and youth have been failed, as well as why foster families are so ill-prepared to meet their needs, but it also revealed to Patricia that she herself was impacted by prenatal exposure to alcohol. FASD, a physical disability with behavioral symptoms, is rarely diagnosed, even though it is the #1 preventable cause of developmental, learning and intellectual disabilities world-wide, affecting more people than Autism Spectrum, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida and Downs Syndrome combined.

No one outgrows FASD and services for adults living with FASD are even fewer than those available for children and youth. With a diagnostic rate of less than 1%, there are millions upon millions of adults who are unaware they've had a prenatal brain injury. No two people with FASD are impacted the same way, due to a complexity of factors. Sip by Sip shares with its readers 10 stories, the author's own and the other nine through a series of conversations the author has with other people living with FASD. This book is Patricia's attempt to reach other adults who may find answers to life's struggles by looking at their lives through the lens of FASD.