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Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Infants of opioid-dependent mothers: neurodevelopment at six months

Laura McGlone1, Helen Mactier2

  • 1Southern General Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Dalnair Street, Yorkhill, Glasgow G3 8SJ, United Kingdom.

Early Human Development
|December 3, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Infants born to mothers using methadone for opioid dependence show developmental delays at six months. Neonatal abstinence syndrome and poly-drug exposure worsen these neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal development
  • Pediatric neurodevelopment
  • Opioid-exposed infants

Background:

  • Maternal opioid dependence treated with methadone can impact infant neurodevelopment.
  • Understanding the long-term effects of prenatal methadone exposure is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants exposed to methadone prenatally.
  • To identify factors associated with poorer neurodevelopmental trajectories in this cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Neurodevelopmental assessment using Griffith Mental Development Scales (GMDS) at six months of age.
  • Comparison of GMDS scores between infants of methadone-maintained mothers and a non-drug-exposed control group.

Main Results:

  • Infants exposed to methadone demonstrated significantly lower scores across all developmental domains compared to controls.
  • Infants with poly-drug exposure or treated for neonatal abstinence syndrome exhibited poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • Delayed visual development was a common co-occurring issue.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal methadone exposure is associated with impaired infant neurodevelopment at six months.
  • Neonatal abstinence syndrome and poly-drug exposure exacerbate these developmental deficits.
  • These infants require close developmental surveillance throughout their first year.
Abstract

Keywords:
Drug misuseGriffiths scoreMethadoneNeurodevelopment

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