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Language outcomes at 12 years for children exposed prenatally to cocaine
Barbara A Lewis1, Sonia Minnes, Elizabeth J Short
1Correspondence to Barbara A. Lewis: bxl@case.edu.
Insights
Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) shows subtle, lasting effects on 12-year-olds' language, particularly syntax and phonological processing. These skills impact later reading abilities.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) is a significant concern with potential long-term neurodevelopmental consequences.
- Understanding the persistent effects of PCE on cognitive functions like language is crucial for early intervention and support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term impact of prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) on language development in children at 12 years of age.
- To control for confounding prenatal drug exposure and environmental factors in assessing PCE's effects.
Main Methods:
- A prospective longitudinal study followed children exposed (PCE; n=183) and unexposed (NCE; n=181) to cocaine in utero from birth to age 12.
- Language development was assessed using the Test of Language Development-Intermediate and phonological processing via the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing.
- Multivariate analyses of covariance and regression analyses were employed, controlling for confounders.
Main Results:
- Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) demonstrated small but significant effects on specific language areas, including syntax and phonological processing.
- Caregiver factors such as lower maternal vocabulary, maternal psychological symptoms, and a less supportive home environment also showed consistent associations with language and phonological processing outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) has subtle, enduring effects on specific language aspects, including phonological processing, even at age 12.
- Impaired phonological processing skills are linked to difficulties in letter-word identification, reading fluency, and reading comprehension, suggesting PCE impacts foundational literacy skills.
Purpose:
In this study, the authors aimed to examine the long-term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) on the language development of 12-year-old children using a prospective design, controlling for confounding prenatal drug exposure and environmental factors.
Method:
Children who were exposed to cocaine in utero (PCE; n = 183) and children who were not exposed to cocaine (i.e., no cocaine exposure [NCE]; n = 181) were followed prospectively from birth to 12 years of age and were compared on language subtests of the Test of Language Development-Intermediate, Third Edition ( Hammill & Newcomer, 1997b), and phonological processing as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing ( Wagner & Torgesen, 1999). The authors evaluated the relationship of PCE to language development through a multivariate analysis of covariance and regression analyses while controlling for confounders.
Results:
Results show that PCE has small effects on specific aspects of language, including syntax and phonological processing. The caregiver variables of lower maternal vocabulary, more psychological symptoms, and a poorer home environment also had consistent effects on language and phonological processing scores.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that PCE continues to have small, subtle effects on specific aspects of language at age 12 years. Phonological processing skills were significantly related to the reading outcomes of letter-word identification, reading fluency, and reading comprehension, indicating that PCE also has small but lasting effects on the language skills that are related to later literacy skills.
