Predicting the Developmental Outcome of Two-Year-Old Children Born Exposed to Methadone: Impact of Social-Environmental Risk Factors

Abstract

Suggests that conclusions drawn concerning the development of drug-exposed children have been too extreme in either condemning the children as damaged or proclaiming them unaffected. Results from a longitudinal study of the development of methadone-exposed and comparison-group children are presented. Social-environmental risk factors, sex of child, and maternal communication are used to predict the children's developmental (outcome at age 2 years. No significant differences in outcomes between the groups were found. For the methadone group only, cumulative environmental risk factors predicted poorer developmental outcome. We note that the problematic neurobehavioral profile of some drug-exposed children can result from either biological insult associated with drug exposure or environmental risk factors including maternal communication. The importance of early intervention for drug-exposed and comparison children and their families is emphasized.