CHILDREN EXPOSED TO COCAINE - CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND INTERVENTION

The 1990 President's National Drug Control Strategy Report estimated t hat 100,000 babies who have been prenatally exposed to cocaine are bor n each year Medical research has established risks for both cocaine-us ing pregnant women and their unborn children. Infants prenatally expos ed to cocaine may experience a marked failure to adapt to the neonatal environment, a lack of appropriate interaction with caregivers, and l anguage, cognitive and motor abnormalities that clearly place them at risk. Initial results of follow-up on these infants have suggested tha t some will suffer long-term educational and behavioral handicaps. Lit tle has been empirically documented concerning the characteristics of children 18 months and older who were exposed to cocaine prenatally. T here is an urgent need for study of this group to determine what, if a ny, long-term effects children prenatally exposed to cocaine may later exhibit. Such information could be vital to a wide range of professio nals in health, education, social service, and childcare. Such researc h must proceed with caution, however, for other interacting explanatio ns of any identified long-term effects must also be considered.