Children prenatally exposed to alcohol and drugs face increasing neurodevelopmental challenges as they grow and develop. These challenges translate into behavioral and learning difficulties in the classroom and in the home.

Children affected by prenatal substance exposure face increasing neurodevelopmental challenges as they grow and develop. These challenges translate into behavioral difficulties in the classroom and in the home.

This program will address the evidence-based treatment approaches that appear to improve the developmental trajectory for individuals with prenatal substance exposure.

With the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana, rates of use during pregnancy have steadily increased. At the same time, public health messages have failed to communicate the possible negative effects of marijuana on pregnancy and child outcome.

Although prenatal alcohol exposure is the most common preventable cause of intellectual disabilities in the United States, global development most often falls into the normal range for children and youth with a history of prenatal exposure to alcohol and other substances. However, regulatory difficulties across the span of childhood and adolescence have significant implications for long term development.

A child’s prenatal exposure to maternal substance use during gestation is recognized as one of the most significant barriers to the child’s ultimate healthy development.  The direct biological toxicity of the drugs and the social and psychological disarray of the substance-misusing environment during gestation ultimately impede the child’s growth and development and pose a grave risk to the child’s overall well-being. 

For children to succeed and learn over the long term, they rely on a positive nurturing relationship with key adults in their lives.

Children who have histories of complex trauma, including experiences of prenatal substance exposure, abuse, neglect, loss, and witness to violence often endure significant emotional and developmental struggles, sometimes even years after some degree of emotional stability has been achieved.