Behavioral Outcomes of Young Children Prenatally Exposed to Illicit Drugs

The purpose of this article was to review the findings from existing peer-reviewed experimental studies describing the behavioral and developmental outcomes associated with prenatal exposure to illicit drugs. Forty-six such studies and 460 individual outcomes occurring from birth to 60 months were identified. Only half of these outcomes (49.8%) were statistically significant, indicating adverse effects of prenatal exposure. The greatest number of outcomes were identified for infants younger than 1 month of age and within the neurodevelopmental domain. The contrast between these outcomes derived from experimental studies and those reported in the popular press is discussed.