Some principles for individuals with FASD to maintain employment in the time of Covid-19

1. Work requirements for
individuals with FASD, in the
time of Covid-19
In this time of Covid- 19, issues
that those with FASD face are
more pressing than ever: one is
work, and the need to have an
income.
Our son was diagnosed at 20,
and is now 44. He has agreed
for me to place this on the

2. internet: the first time I have
done so.
Because John is intelligent and
articulate, and we were ignorant
of FASD, we had the highest of
expectations of him. These
expectations were challenged
time and time again, much to
our frustration, and on my part-
anger.
How much better life would
have been had we had an early
diagnosis, with explanations for
the difficulties involved.

3. Society sees individuals with
FASD as lazy, while the truth is
they want to work. So often
they give up after many
attempts, having dealt with
ignorance and hostility.
In the first ten years of leaving
school John had twenty jobs. To
this day he has desperately
wanted to work and not rely on
us for support. This was
frequently the case for the
families I saw in my practice,
leading me to come to some

4. guidelines regarding job
requirements for those with
FASD.
Unexpected changes or
interruptions should be avoided:
the emphasis on unexpected.
If certain changes or
interruptions are an expected
part of the job then they may be
tolerated to a degree.
In this case sudden demands to
work overtime can be stressful,
with varying reactions.

5. Depending on sleep patterns,
night work may be more
suitable.
Team work, defined as being a
cog in a wheel made up of a
number of coworkers does not
work for those with FASD.
They can certainly work with
others around, providing the
others are not disruptive, which
brings us to the work
environment.
Finding the right work
environment restricts choices,

6. according to the individual’s
particular sensory disabilities.
So, the individual needs to
understand these disabilities,
and the environment that they
are applying to work in. For
most it is a heart breaking
process of trial and error.
Only having to report/answer to
one person is crucial: someone
who is understanding and can
relay information to the
individual with FASD in a way

7. they can understand, e.g. visual
rather than verbal.
As I saw it, this latter principle
was the one John had the most
difficulty resolving.
One great attribute John has is
being a good driver. So, after
many brief jobs, John
eventually found tow truck
driving. Tow truck driving
satisfied these work principles,
except for the latter, which is
why he worked for a number of
tow truck companies.

8. Unfortunately he injured his
back and had to give it up.
The next occupation was Uber
driving. This is the ideal work
for those with FASD who can
drive, have sense of local
geography, and have a suitable
vehicle, requirements that I
understand not all individuals
with fasd will have.
But, once more, circumstances
beyond his control intervened-
the Covid-19 virus.

9. Never giving up, John has
found a way to utilize his talents
and provide some income.
He has created a web page
[www.beseenimaging.ca] and
prints logos on t-shirts etc.
The work principles are met.
I have posted this hoping it will
provide encouragement in these
Covid-19 times. While not all
individuals with FASD will be
able to be a tow truck driver, the
work principles will always
apply.