Intrauterine Exposure to Drugs and Alcohol: How Do the Children Fare?

The increasing use of drugs and alcohol by pregnant women has resulted in a population of children with unique neurodevelopmental behaviors. Of 223 children evaluated in a multidisciplinary child-development program in Portland, Oregon, 188 required long-term follow-up because of neurodevelopmental and/or behavioral problems; 153 had been polydrug-exposed in utero and 35 were born with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Evaluations of the polydrug-exposed children revealed that 13% had severe speech and language disorders, 10% had significant cognitive deficits, and 81% had behavior problems after the age of 3 years. These deficits could not be attributed to social/environmental factors alone and probably reflect the effect of toxins on the developing brain. While polydrug-exposed children had learning problems related to impaired neurodevelopment and attention deficits, their IQs were normal. Among children with FAS, however, 67% had some degree of mental retardation.