Book Description

This report presents findings of an inquiry into the educational needs of children prenatally exposed to drugs and covers: (1) the extent of the problem, (2) negative effects of prenatal drug exposure on a child's educational potential, (3) typical behaviors and learning deficits of such children, and (4) characteristics of successful early childhood programs for this population. The report also contains profiles of eight programs specifically designed to educate children prenatally exposed to drugs or experiencing psychosocial traumas. Programs are located in the District of Columbia, Los Angeles (California), St. Petersburg (Florida), Tampa (Florida), New York City, Chicago (Illinois) and Palo Alto (California). Highlights of the review of the four study questions include: the number of children prenatally exposed to illicit drugs is increasing; the prevalent use of alcohol and cigarettes poses a greater prenatal threat to a larger number of babies than does any illicit drug; 30-40 percent of prenatally drug exposed children display developmental delays in the absence of effective early intervention; there is no profile of behavior and learning typical of drug-exposed children; educators should focus on identifying and addressing the problem behaviors, not on the causes; and successful programs use developmentally appropriate practice standards and not new instructional methodology especially for drug-exposed children. Recommendations, a list of 32 programmatic or organizational resources, and a glossary complete the report. (Contains approximately 132 references.) (DB)