Jan Crossen’s fictional series was inspired by her adopted son, Joshua. Josh, who is African American, and Crossen, a middle-aged white woman, met when he was eight years old and living in foster care. None of the pre-adoption parenting classes prepared this new mother for the enormous challenges of parenting her son. Crossen Writes Book
Crossen’s 9 LIVES Trilogy, a Mom’s Choice Award Winning Young Adult Series, is now raising awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and opening minds and dialogues between parents and teens about alcohol, pregnancy, behaviors, and choices.
Joshua looked like a normal kid of average intelligence, but he had problems with a poor memory and poor impulse control. He didn’t learn from his mistakes, nor did he connect cause and effect. He couldn’t manage money and had difficulty understanding abstract concepts such as time. He didn’t think before acting, and he engaged in risky behaviors. Traditional parenting methods were not effective.
Discovering Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
A parade of professionals failed to inform Crossen that her son was a special needs child with an invisible brain disability. Not until Josh was almost eighteen did they learn that his birth mother drank alcohol during her pregnancy causing his Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
FASD is the umbrella term used to describe the physical, mental, emotional, and social problems caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. Behavioral problems are the number one issue with FASD. Those afflicted often drop out of school, get in trouble with the law, have difficulty staying employed, and living independently.
Each book contains a resource guide for additional information on FASD, and there is an FASD screening tool in the third book. Titles: 9 LIVES: I Will Survive; 9 LIVES: Cat Tales; and 9 LIVES: Full Circle. Books are available through Jan Crossen, at Amazon.com, and by special order with your local book store.
