Case Study: Eve and the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
By Michael Cazes
Piaget’s stages of development reveal that Eve has reached the end of her concrete
operational stage and that she is having a hard time dealing with the Formal Operational
Stage, where she is required to engage in abstract thinking; something that is very
difficult for a child affected by F.A.S. Fetal alcohol syndrome limits the learning capacity
of children with the syndrome, and as I read from some brief internet research, the
learning capable by these children reaches a plateau and further development from there
can be very difficult.
The spiral curriculum would be a good thing for Eve because it would allow her to touch
on many different areas of the world rather than attempting to master and delve in depth
into specific subject matter. The latter would frustrate this student due to the fact that she
is unable to comprehend material at more than a concrete operational stage.
The best thing to do with a child that has F.A.S. is to give them the life skills that they
need to be independent: basic life skills, including money management, safety skills,
interpersonal relating, and so forth. Children with this syndrome should be directed into a
vocational studies program, and even this can prove to be a challenge due to the high
academic work load that accompanies some of the programs