Prenatally drug-exposed children in out-of-home care: are we looking at the whole picture?

Publicity on children exposed prenatally to drugs has fostered tremendous concern about their cognitive and behavioral development. This concern is reflected in the out-of-home care system, where the number of children from drug-involved families has increased dramatically. This article examines the conflicting views in the literature on the effects of prenatal exposure to drugs and reports on an early intervention project in a New York City agency. The rate of developmental delay was found to be virtually the same for children with and without prenatal exposure to drugs. Implications of these findings for practice and research are considered.