Children with Prenatal Drug Exposure

Children With Prenatal Drug Exposure examines new medical approaches for predicting the developmental progress of children who have been exposed to drugs in utero. This book outlines effective methods for intervention and assessment and indicates future directions for investigation. It provides practical and up-to-date information on treatments and research development, while it encourages practitioners to come to their own conclusions through careful documentation and analysis of each case.Children With Prenatal Drug Exposure cuts across many disciplines to provide the reader with a vivid analysis of the complexities and challenges surrounding health care of children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs. This guidebook explores the controversies over treatment and therapy options and the ethics of care. It advocates positive outcome intervention methods that promote the health interests of both mother and unborn child whenever possible, with an emphasis on clinical efforts geared to change maternal behavior.Practical and comprehensive, Children With Prenatal Drug Exposure explores a full range of provoking topics, including:

• neurological effects and sensory motor delays caused by cocaine exposure
• foster care and its impact on motor development
• adolescent pregnancy and the complications of prenatal substance abuse
• ethical dilemmas
• multidimensional measurement systems and longitudinal researchThe book's authors believe that in order to meet the needs of children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs, care providers must know the limitations associated with the process and methodology of assessment and learn to address the shortcomings of evaluation. With this in mind, this book aims to equip psychologists, physical and occupational therapists, researchers, and physicians with the "know-how" they require for optimizing their health care services and contributing valuable research that the field so urgently needs.