NCJ Number
142489
Date Published
1992
Length
70 pages
Annotation
The rising levels of infants who have been prenatally exposed to illegal drugs is made even more serious considering that many cases of drug abuse among middle-class pregnant women probably go undetected, the average female drug addict is young enough to have many more children, and women of childbearing age represent the largest subpopulation among female drug addicts.
Abstract
The rationale for an early intervention strategy with prenatally drug-exposed infants and their families that is offered in this monograph would use nature's forces to protect the infant's integrity and to encourage the mother's growth by facilitating the development of a supportive environment. The author discusses goals and specialized techniques for dealing with problems related to the development of these infants and mothers. Case illustrations of an early intervention day treatment program that specializes in treating recovering mothers and their prenatally drug-exposed infants are drawn from the Pohai Pono program in Honolulu.