This article appeared in the American School Board Journal in 1994.
CRACK BABIES GROW UP
What happens when drug-exposed children get older?
Mary Bellis (Waller) Williams, Ph.D.
You probably first heard about crack babies—children who are exposed in the womb to crack cocaine— about five years ago. Back then, the problem was just beginning to get news coverage, and doctors and other could only guess what troubles these children would encounter as they grew older.(1)
Now that the phenomenon has some history, we have a better picture of what does and does not become of crack babies. For example, we now know not all children exposed prenatally to crack cocaine grow up with behavioral problems, but up to 75 percent of these youngsters do have problems later on that can be traced to the exposure.
We also know, though, that tracing a child's problems to prenatal exposure to crack is extremely difficult. For one thing, drug tests at birth indicate only whether the baby and mother have drugs in their bodies at the time of delivery. The tests don't reveal whether the mother used drugs early in the pregnancy, when risk to the fetus's developing nervous system occurs.
Another problem complicates diagnosis as well: Mothers who might have used crack while they were pregnant don't necessarily volunteer the information. Sometimes social service agencies have a record of the mother's drug use and provide that information to a child's foster parents. Other times, a relative who acts as the child's custodian knows about the mother's drug use and will tell school authorities or a social services officer.
But even if we know certain children are so-called crack babies, we cannot automatically blame any problems they might experience in school solely on their exposure to drugs in the womb. Children who grow up with drug-abusing parents often live in a chaotic environment that puts them at risk of developing all sorts of problems: learning difficulties, hyperactivity, even tendencies to violence. It can be difficult to tell for sure whether these children's problems stem from their environment or from the drug's effects.
The difficulties in diagnosis notwithstanding, researchers now say about 11 percent of infants born nationwide have been prenatally exposed to crack. What's in store for these children and for schools that will try to meet their needs? The answers lie in part in the experiences of the crack- and cocaine-exposed children who precede them—who, by and large, are not maturing without the benefit of intervention programs to address their needs.
To get some of the answers, I recently interviewed 49 foster parents, teachers, and others who have worked closely with 284 children known to have been exposed to crack or cocaine in the womb. At the time of the interviews, the children ranged in age from newborn to 17 years old. (Note: Crack, a relatively new drug, has existed for about nine years. The children I talk about who are older than nine were exposed to cocaine.) Although they composed a relatively small sample, the care givers' observations and anecdotes are valuable in providing a glimpse of what looms ahead as crack babies grow up.
Keep in mind, most of the children who are the focus of these observations did not grow up in the disorder of a drug-abusing home. According to foster parents, social workers, and others involved in the children's care, almost all these kids lived in stable, functional homes—indeed, many of them went directly from the hospital they were born in to foster or adoptive families. Yes, regardless of a secure home life, the children still show some intellectual and socialization problems.
Also, keep in mind that these children probably have not had any kind of specially tailored education to help their situation. (Even now, far too few intervention strategies for crack-affected children exist in schools.) As far as diagnostic limitations can take us, then, these children are the raw examples of what prenatal crack or cocaine exposure can do to kids.
Older kids, greater problems
Overall, what I learned in the interviews is that, as the children's ages increase, so does their antisocial or dangerous behavior—behavior that could pose difficulties for schools and society if nothing is done to correct it.
According to the people I interviewed, a high proportion of the older children (ages 5 through 17) exhibit violent tendencies, inappropriate social behavior, hyperactivity, and learning problems; they often lie and steal, show little remorse or conscience, isolate themselves from others, and avoid touch and eye contact with others. They also tend to be impulsive and to repeat painful actions, and they show little or no understanding of cause and effect.
(1) Rist, MC (1990). The Shadow Children. American School Board Journal, 177(1): 18-24.
CRACK BABIES GROW UP
What happens when drug-exposed children get older?
Mary Bellis (Waller) Williams, Ph.D.
You probably first heard about crack babies—children who are exposed in the womb to crack cocaine— about five years ago. Back then, the problem was just beginning to get news coverage, and doctors and other could only guess what troubles these children would encounter as they grew older.(1)
Now that the phenomenon has some history, we have a better picture of what does and does not become of crack babies. For example, we now know not all children exposed prenatally to crack cocaine grow up with behavioral problems, but up to 75 percent of these youngsters do have problems later on that can be traced to the exposure.
We also know, though, that tracing a child's problems to prenatal exposure to crack is extremely difficult. For one thing, drug tests at birth indicate only whether the baby and mother have drugs in their bodies at the time of delivery. The tests don't reveal whether the mother used drugs early in the pregnancy, when risk to the fetus's developing nervous system occurs.
Another problem complicates diagnosis as well: Mothers who might have used crack while they were pregnant don't necessarily volunteer the information. Sometimes social service agencies have a record of the mother's drug use and provide that information to a child's foster parents. Other times, a relative who acts as the child's custodian knows about the mother's drug use and will tell school authorities or a social services officer.
But even if we know certain children are so-called crack babies, we cannot automatically blame any problems they might experience in school solely on their exposure to drugs in the womb. Children who grow up with drug-abusing parents often live in a chaotic environment that puts them at risk of developing all sorts of problems: learning difficulties, hyperactivity, even tendencies to violence. It can be difficult to tell for sure whether these children's problems stem from their environment or from the drug's effects.
The difficulties in diagnosis notwithstanding, researchers now say about 11 percent of infants born nationwide have been prenatally exposed to crack. What's in store for these children and for schools that will try to meet their needs? The answers lie in part in the experiences of the crack- and cocaine-exposed children who precede them—who, by and large, are not maturing without the benefit of intervention programs to address their needs.
To get some of the answers, I recently interviewed 49 foster parents, teachers, and others who have worked closely with 284 children known to have been exposed to crack or cocaine in the womb. At the time of the interviews, the children ranged in age from newborn to 17 years old. (Note: Crack, a relatively new drug, has existed for about nine years. The children I talk about who are older than nine were exposed to cocaine.) Although they composed a relatively small sample, the care givers' observations and anecdotes are valuable in providing a glimpse of what looms ahead as crack babies grow up.
Keep in mind, most of the children who are the focus of these observations did not grow up in the disorder of a drug-abusing home. According to foster parents, social workers, and others involved in the children's care, almost all these kids lived in stable, functional homes—indeed, many of them went directly from the hospital they were born in to foster or adoptive families. Yes, regardless of a secure home life, the children still show some intellectual and socialization problems.
Also, keep in mind that these children probably have not had any kind of specially tailored education to help their situation. (Even now, far too few intervention strategies for crack-affected children exist in schools.) As far as diagnostic limitations can take us, then, these children are the raw examples of what prenatal crack or cocaine exposure can do to kids.
Older kids, greater problems
Overall, what I learned in the interviews is that, as the children's ages increase, so does their antisocial or dangerous behavior—behavior that could pose difficulties for schools and society if nothing is done to correct it.
According to the people I interviewed, a high proportion of the older children (ages 5 through 17) exhibit violent tendencies, inappropriate social behavior, hyperactivity, and learning problems; they often lie and steal, show little remorse or conscience, isolate themselves from others, and avoid touch and eye contact with others. They also tend to be impulsive and to repeat painful actions, and they show little or no understanding of cause and effect.
(1) Rist, MC (1990). The Shadow Children. American School Board Journal, 177(1): 18-24.