Story Structure Examples

Below are suggestions for how to structure telling your story to submit it online to the Embrace project.

We would like these stories to be used to help others that are no longer 5-minutes long. If you want to share more than one story, we encourage you to do so. Please share tips you learned that have helped in some way. If you are a caregiver or individual with FASD for how to keep calm, how to manage daily transitions, the transition into adulthood, to get a better night’s sleep, working with teachers, judges, etc. If you are a professional, please share tips or thoughts on alternative sentencing that have worked in the criminal justice system, about how to manage structure in the classroom, manage parole, successful ways in working with families, etc.

A Caregiver Example: Share what have you learned that helps keep things stable in the home.

Use your own style and language!

My name is ______, and I am the parent of a child(s) with FASD.

My child is ___ years old.

(Or if you have several children: My kids range from ___ to ___.)

“Life can feel a bit out of control some days, to say the least, because there are so many things at play. The alcohol use while my child was in the womb affected them with unique challenges; but they also have precious strengths and gifts. They processes information differently. (If you have more than one child with FASD in your home you might say: One might ( … ) Another might ( … )) It takes them longer to think through a request like, “can you wash the dishes?” They would always respond with “___ no” I use to take the response personally, until I learned their brain wiring can’t handle the information in what we might say is “typical”. So, I learned to shift to say something like, “could you help the family out in 10 minutes and wash the dishes?” and walk away regardless of what their response might be. And 7 out of 10 times, they get up and wash the dishes without saying another word to them. They needed time to process the information at a rate their brain doesn’t get overwhelmed.

It’s not just a struggle to be the parent; it is choosing to parent to the strengths children who are wired differently. I have had to approach our routine at home differently, and giving my child extra time without reacting to their immediate no, has helped quite a bit. (you can embellish more if you wish. Be creative and please, no longer than 5-minutes.

Other examples for caregivers might be:

related to getting a better night sleep
how a schedule has helped with…
ways that have helped curbed impulsivity
methods that improved reading or reduced the chaos of transitions
improving their exercise or eating habits
etc.

Submit your story

An Example for individuals with FASD:

Tell us about what is hard and what is good at home, school, work, making friend, choices, and/or pick another topic that is not on this list of suggestions.

Please tell us your name to start: My name is… (and then share your story)

I’ve been diagnosed with FASD because my birth mom drank alcohol while she was pregnant with me.

I know I am wired differently than other kids, so when I go to school, it is hard to understand what the teacher is saying.

They go to fast, and I lose track following what they are saying.

I don’t want to look dumb, so I do my best to fake it by …. (tell us how you fake it)