PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA - EFFECTS ON MOTOR DEVELOPMENT OF PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN

Gross motor development of preschool children prenatally exposed to al cohol and marijuana was assessed as part of a longitudinal study. Most mothers in the study were light to moderate users and discontinued or decreased use of alcohol and marijuana after the first trimester of p regnancy. The women were of lower socioeconomic status, half of the sa mple was African-American, and most were single. Gross motor developme nt was evaluated with balance and ball-handling items at 3 years. Bala nce items included walking on a line, walking on a balance beam, stand ing on one foot, standing on tiptoes, and stair climbing and descent. Ball-handling items included catching, throwing, and kicking a ball. R efusal to perform items was also recorded. Prenatal alcohol and mariju ana exposure did not negatively affect gross motor development. The co mposite score on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, age at assessm ent, gender, and examiner were significant predictors of gross motor p erformance and of refusal to participate in the balance items. The pon deral index, number of siblings, current income, examiner, current mat ernal use of tranquilizers, and first trimester exposure to amphetamin es were also significant predictors of balance skills. Gender and numb er of hospitalizations predicted refusal to participate in balance ite ms, whereas hearing and vision problems predicted refusal on ball-hand ling items. The components of timing, speed, and fine motor control ha ve not been addressed in this study, and therefore it is premature to conclude that there is no impact of prenatal substance use on motor de velopment.