Suggested behavioral interventions in the classroom to assist students prenatally exposed to drugs

Abstract

The population of children exposed prenatally to alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other legal or illegal substances has been rapidly growing in America. The known characteristics of this group include deficits in rule‐governed behavior, impulsivity, attention to task, language, sleep attachment, learning, social competence, coordination, hypersensitivity to environmental stimuli, and conduct problems. The purpose of this paper was to describe the characteristics of this population and match known, empirically demonstrated, data‐based strategies, such as teacher attention and praise, token reinforcement programs, daily report cards, contingency contracting, self‐instructional training, self‐management, peer tutoring, Direct Instruction, and combining behavior therapy with stimulant medication therapy, to specific academic and social deficits in children with parental histories of substance abuse. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.