Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Effects Of Prenatal Drug Exposure On Neurobehavioral Functioning In Young Infants, Yvette Blanchard, Patricia E. Suess, Marjorie Beeghly

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

In the newborn period, infants prenatally exposed to cocaine and other drugs show low scores on the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. Beyond that period, research is limited on the effects of prenatal drug exposure on neurobehavioral functioning. In this study we compared infants exposed to cocaine and other drugs and control infants from low socioeconomic backgrounds on measures of neurobehavioral functioning during neuromotor assessment at 1, 4 and 7 months of life. None of the measures of neurobehavioral functioning showed any significant group differences. This study did not support the hypothesis of disrupted neurobehavioral functioning beyond the neonatal period in …