Children prenatally exposed to cocaine may be at elevated risk for adjustment problems in early development because of greater reactivity and reduced regulation during challenging tasks. Few studies have examined whether cocaine-exposed children show such difficulties during the preschool years, a period marked by increased social and cognitive…

The Zero Exposure Project is a public awareness campaign in Hillsborough County, Florida, designed to educate the public on the dangers of combining substance use with pregnancy. The authors describe the process of building the campaign from its original conception and share the challenges and successes of their collaborations with community…

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. "Kids Count in Colorado!" informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as…

This paper investigates the relationship between low birthweight, enrollment in special education, and special education costs in the United States. The study used a national sample of approximately 8,000 children ages 6 to 15 from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey. The study held constant many of the social, economic, and family factors…

Examines evidence on the effects of perinatal and postnatal factors (e.g., anoxia and child abuse) on later development to determine if causality exists. The inadequacies of current developmental models are discussed. (BRT)

To explore the relationship between prenatal parental stress and pregnancy outcome, this study investigated the hypothesis that parents of infants with defects would report greater amounts of stress in the year prior to their infant's birth than would parents of normally developing infants. Data on levels of parental stress were obtained from 37…

This study examined the behavioral effects of prenatal and postnatal exposure to smoking, alcohol, and caffeinated beverages on 5-month-old infants. The sample consisted of 179 Caucasian infants and their mothers. All mothers were 19 years of age or older and had at least a tenth-grade education. Mental and motor portions of the Bayley Scales of…

The paper reviews Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), a series of effects seen in children whose mothers drink alcohol to excess during pregnancy. The identification of FAS and its recognition as a major health problem in need of prevention are traced. Characteristics of children with FAS are described and resultant growth retardation, abnormal physical…

There are two general categories (not necessarily mutually exclusive) of congenital defects: (1) abnormalities that have an hereditary basis, such as single and multiple genes, or chromosomal abberration; and (2) abnormalities that are caused by nonhereditary factors, such as malnutrition, maternal disease, radiation, infections, drugs, or…

Prepared as a resource for developing a 5-year plan of research for the years 1983-1987 by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, this report reviews current knowledge in three areas of perinatal medicine: pregnancy, birth, and the infant. Within each of these three general areas, several subtopics are discussed. These…

To determine which of several variables best predict aggression in hyperactive children, 38 hyperactive first-, second-, and third-graders were assessed for 12 consecutive school days on 11 behaviors associated with aggression. Behavioral items on the criterion measure, the Daily Behavior Checklist, were summed and then averaged over the 12 days…

This report focuses on the evidence about the health consequences of smoking for women, and is intended to serve the public health and medical communities as a unified source of existing scientific research. The major issues about tobacco use and women's health are examined, including trends in consumption, biomedical evidence, and determinants of…

This compilation of bibliographic citations consists of approximately 70 recent alcohol research references, categorized topically. These post-1972 references are offered in order to reduce the communication problem between the public and the scientific community by informing researchers about the most recent and available alcohol knowledge and…

The National Institute on Drug Abuse presents this report as the fifth in a series intended to summarize the empirical research findings and major theoretical approaches relating to the the issues of drug use and abuse. Included in this volume are summaries of the major research findings concerning the effects of nonmedical drug use on pregnancy.…