ERIC ED361954: Children Exposed to Drugs: Meeting Their Needs. HOT TOPICS: Usable Research.

128 Pages·1993·4.3 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 361 954
EC 302 422
AUTHOR
Wilkes, Dianne
TITLE
Children Exposed to Drugs: Meeting
Their Needs. HOT
TOPICS: Usable Research.
INSTITUTION
Southeastern Regional Vision for Education
(SERVE),
Tallahassee, FL.
SPONS AGENCY
Office of Educational Research
and Improvement (ED),
Washington, DC.
PUB DATE
93
CONTRACT
RP91002010
NOTE
133p.
PUB TYPE
Guides
Non-Classroom Use (055)
EDRS PRICE
MFOI/PC06 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
Alcoholism; *Congenital Impairments;
*Demonstration
Programs; Drug Abuse; Early Intervention;
Educational
Needs; Family Problems; Incidence;
*Intervention;
Parent Education; *Prenatal
Influences; Research and
Development; Student Characteristics;
*Substance
Abuse; Teacher Education; Theory
Practice
Relationship
IDENTIFIERS
*Fetal Drug Exposure
ABSTRACT
This guide attempts to apply
research findings on
children exposed to drugs during
the prenatal period to practical
educational considerations.
Section I is an overview of
the
prevalence and impact of substance
exposure, including chapters on
the effects that prenatal
substance exposure and living in
a
drug-abusing environment have
on children. Research findings from
studies on children exposed
to drugs are summarized. Section
II
presents programs and services
that are proving successful with
this
population. It describes
federal, state, and community
early
intervention programs
as well as training programs for both
teachers
and parents. Also presented
are practices that foster the development
of these children and specific
ideas from successful
programs and
practices. Section III identifies
a variety of classroom management
and instructional strategies,
including more examples of
effective
programs as well as a number of teaching
tips. Section IV contains
an
annotated list of organizations,
consultants, publications, and
other
resources of interest to practitioners
and policymakers. The
appendices contain information
on the Drug-Free Schools Recognition
Program, sample behavior modification
charts, and a classroom rating
scale for teachers. (Contains
120 references.) (DB)
***********************************************************************
Reproductions supplied by EDRS
are the best that can be made
from the original document.
***********************************************************************
I/ 11 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
CMG, 01E4:Welty:KA! Asisilarch and Imptoomont
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER IERIC)
0114ius
document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it
0 Minor changes nave been made to improve
rPrOdUCtiOrt Quality
Points Of wily/ or Opinions stated in this docu
rant do at necessarity rprissent Official
OERI position or policy
_
4'71.
utek%
,
:Or
V,
"
10.
BEST
AYAILABLE
HOT TOPICS:
Usable Research
CHILDREN EXPOSED
TO DRUGS:
MEETING THEIR NEEDS
Dianne Wilkes
1993
SERVE
South Eastern Regional Vision for Education
affiliated with the
School of Education
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
and
Florida State University
This publication was produced with funds from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement,
U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. RP91002010.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
iv
Acknowledgments
v
About SERVE and the Hot Topics Series
vii
Quiz: What Do You Know About Children Exposed to Drugs9
ix
Introduction
Section I: The Impact of Substance Exposure on Children
2
Chapter 1: Prenatal Exposure to Drugs
26
Chapter 2: Envimnmental Risks
Section II: Services for Substance-Exposed Children and Their Families
34
Chapter 3: Federal, State, and Community Programs
44
Chapter 4: School District Programs
52
Chapter 5: School Programs
Section III: Strategies for Teachers of Children Exposed to Drugs
62
Chapter 6: Classroom Management
73
Chapter 7: Instructional Approaches
Section IV: Resources
82
Help lines
82
Organizations and Projects
,
85
Regional Contacts
87
Training Programs, Consultants, and Technical Assistance
88
Publications
92
For Further Reading
95
Appendices
References
108
Feedback Form
113
"Dynamite Ideas" Submission Form
114
SERVE Order Forms
115
Index
118
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SERVE is grateful to the many professionals from the fields
of education, social services, and
public health who provided "Dynamite Ideas," identified
resources, and contributed other
information to the development of this publication.
Special appreciation is extended to Nancy Fontaine,
Director of the Substance-Exposed
Children's Project, Florida A & M University, and Harold
Smith, Executive Director of Services
for Exceptional Children, Fulton County Schools,
Atlanta, Georgia, for their insights, materials,
and review.
The laboratory also extends thanks to the following
individuals from each of the SERVE states
who provided information, feedback, and other assistance
as members of the Regional Review
Panel:
Deborah Chiles-Bowen, Director of Field Services,
SERVE, Atlanta, Georgia
Jerry Corley, Chief Supervisor, Drug Abuse Prevention,
South Carolina Department of
Education
Emma Guilarte, Educational Associate, South Carolina
Department of Education
Julia Harvard, Supervisor, Health Education, Duval
County Public Schools, Jacksonville,
Florida
Dodie Magill, 1993 Teacher of the Year, South
Carolina
Doris McQuiddy, Exceptional Education Specialist,
Alabama State Department of
Education
Cynthia Moses, Teacher, Park lane Elementary School,
Atlanta, Georgia
Ouida Myers, Health Education Specialist, Alabama
State Department of Education
Karen O'Donnell, Associate Professor, Department
of Pediatrics, Duke University
Deloris Pringle, Senior Field Representative, SERVE,
Atlanta, Georgia
Lani Ray, Principal, Park lane Elementary School,
Atlanta, Georgia
Rendel Stalvey, Coordinator for Health and Physical
Education, Georgia Department of
Education
Bridged Susi, Consultant for Health Education, Georgia
Department of Education
Paulette White, Director of Health-Related Services,
Mississippi State Department of
Education
Children Exposed to Drugs: Meeting their
Needs
was written by
Dianne Wilkes
edited and produced by
Joseph Follman
and designed by
Glenda Johnson
Cover design by Rick Rice
iv
5
ABOUT SERVE AND THE HOT TOPICS SERIES
. . .
SERVE, the SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education, is a coalition of educators, business
leaders, governors, and policymakers seeking comprehensive and lasting improvement in education
in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The name of the
laboratory reflects a commitment to creating a shared vision for the future of education in the
Southeast.
The mission of SERVE is to provide leadership, support, and research to assist state and local efforts
in improving educational outcomes, especially for at-risk and rural students.
Laboratory goals are to
address critical issues in the region,
work as a catalyst for positive change,
serve as a broker of exemplary research and practice, and
become an invaluable source of information for individuals working to promote systemic
educational improvement.
Each year, SERVE emphasizes one of the national goals established by the President and National
Governors' Association. A special three-year project, SERVEing Young Children, will focus on
ensuring that all children are ready to begin school.
SERVE offers a series of publications entitled Hot Topics: Usable Research. These research-based
publications focus on issues of present relevance and importance in education in the region and are
practical guidebooks for educators. Each is developed with input from experts in the field, is
focused on a well-defined subject, and offers useful information, resources, descriptions of
exemplary programs, and a list of contacts.
Several Hot Topics are developed by SERVE each year. The following Hot Topics are presently
available:
Appreciating Differences: Teaching and Learning in a Culturally Diverse Classroom
Children Exposed to Drugs: Meeting Their Needs
Comprehensive School Improvement
Interagency Collaboration: Improving the Delivery of Services to Children and Families
Problem-Centered Learning in Mathematics and Science
Reducing School Violence
Schools for the 21st Century: New Roles for Teachers and Principals
Using Technology to Improve Teaching and Learning
To request publications or to join the SERVE mulling list (everyone on the mailing list will receive
announcements about laboratory publications), complete the order forms at the back of this
publication or contact the SERVE office in Tallahassee (see next page).
Collaboration and networking are at the heart of SERVE's mission, and the laboratory's structure is
itself a model of collaboration. The laboratory has four offices in the region to better serve the needs
6
of state and local education stakeholders. The contract management and research and development
office is located at the School of Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The
laboratory's information office, affiliated with Florida State University, is located in Tallahassee.
Field service offices are located in Atlanta, Greensboro, Tallahassee, and
on the campus of Delta
State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Addresses
are provided below.
SERVE
SERVE
P.O. Box 5367
345 S. Magnolia Drive, Suite D-23
Greensboro, NC 27435
Tallahassee, FL 32301-2950
919-334-3211; 800-755-3277
904-922-2300; 800-352-6001
Fax: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Roy Forbes, Executive Director
Dorothy Routh, Deputy Director
SERVE
SERVE
41 Marietta Street, NW
Delta State University
Suite 1000
Box 3183
Atlanta, GA 30303
Cleveland, MS 38732
404-577-7737; 800-659-3204
601-846-4400; 800-326-4548
Fax: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
vi
QUIZ
What Do You Know About Children Exposed to Drugs?
Directions: Indicate which of the following statements about children exposed to drugs are tnie and
which are false. The correct answers are provided on the next page.
Drug and alcohol use during pregnancy is a problem only in poor, minority populations
1.
living in urban areas.
2.
Children who were born prenatally exposed to alcohol or other drugs are ineducable.
Children who were prenatally exposed to cocaine suffer the most severe long-term effects
3.
of children born substance-exposed.
Most children who were prenatally exposed to drugs are abandoned by or taken away ftom
4.
their mothers.
Children who were prenatally exposed to drugs are irreparably damaged and have little
5.
chance of becoming productive and happy adults.
Since children who are substance-exposed are usually placed in special education
6.
programs, regular classroom teachers do not need to know how to work with them.
7.
Teachers need an extraordinary amount of retraining to be able to successfully teach
children who have been prenatally or environmentally exposed to drugs.
8.
Children who have been exposed to alcohol and other substances are uncontrollable and
violent.
9.
Classifications of children exposed to drugs as "cocaine children" or "drug-exposed
babies" are necessary to ensure they are provided the appropriate interventions.
Children who are prenatally exposed to alcohol or other drugs are fundamentally different
10.
from other children.
vii
Answers to Quiz
1. FALSE.
Children born prenatally expose/1 to alcohol or other drugs come from all
socioeconomic backgrounds, rEces, and geographic areas.
2. FALSE.
With appropriate techniques, most children who have been substance-exposed learn
as well as their peers.
3. FALSE. With appropriate interventions, many children prenatally exposed
to cocaine improve
more dramatically than children exposed to other substances. The long-term effects
of prenatal exposure to alcohol, for example, can be far more
severe than prenatal
exposure to cocaine.
FALSE.
4.
The vast majority of substance-abusing mothers keep their children.
S. FALSE.
With appropriate interventions, many children exposed to drugs
can lead normal,
healthy lives.
6. FALSE.
Since the majority of children who have been substance-exposed
are of normal
intelligence, most are placed in regular classrooms; therefore, regular classroom
teachers need to know how to meet their special needs.
7. FALSE.
Since the majority of teachers already use the techniques that
are successful with
children exposed to drugs, the only additional training that
most teachers require is in
how to meet the children's special needs.
8. FALSE.
Although some children have difficulty controlling impulses and aggression,
most
respond well to therapeutic interventions, and their behavior and ability
to socialize
improves as they mature.
9. FALSE.
Children who have been prenatally or environmentally exposed
to drugs need not be
labeled if educators and other professionals involved with their
care focus on the
symptoms rather than the causes of problems.
10. FALSE.
Children who have been exposed to alcohol and other drugs
are more like their peers
than unlike them.
viii
INTRODUCTION
number
Drugs* are ensnaring millions of Americans, including women of childbearing age, and the
of women using drugs during pregnancy has increased dramatically over the last decade.
Researchers now estimate that one in ten newborns has been prenatally exposed to drugs.
The devastating effects of drug exposure have significant implications for educators now that drug-
exposed babies have reached school age. Whether they are the victims of prenatal drug exposure or
environmental exposure from living with substance-abusing families, these children have a wide
social-emotional problems, that can put them at risk
range of symptoms, including intellectual and
for school failure.
Yet there is hope.
Researchers are finding that efforts to mitigate the damage from prenatal and environmental
generation, children exposed to drugs
exposure to drugs are proving effective. Far from being a lost
appropriate teaching techniques that most are
are responding so wa to early interventions and
capable of performing successfully in regular classrooms.
Because the study of prenatal and environmental exposure to drugs (with the exception of alcohol)
is less than a decade old, most research on the effects of drug exposure has been conducted on
infants. Longitudinal studies of school-aged children exposed to drugs are not yet complete, and
,model educational programs have not yet been validated. Even so, early findings from research and
practice are identifying educational and other interventions that best serve children exposed to
drugs. Children Exposed to Drugs: Meeting Their Needs highiights many of these practices as it
examines the problem of substance exposure and identifies interventions that are working. It is
designed as a guide for both practitioners and policymakers.
Section I is an overview of the prevalence and impact of substance exposure, including chapters on
the effects that prenatal substance exposure and living in a drug-abusing environment have on
children. Section I also includes "Research Findings" from studies on children exposed to drugs.
Section II presents programs and services that are proving successful with children exposed to
drugs. It begins with descriptions of federal, state, and community early intervention programs
serving substance-exposed children and their families. Chapter 4 examines district programs for
children exposed to drugs and identifies training programs for both teachers and parents. In Chapter
5, school practices that foster the development of children exposed to drugs are presented. Section
LE also features "Dynamite Ideas" highlighting successful programs and practices.
Section ifi idenfifies a variety of classroom management and instructional strategies for teachers of
children exposed to drugs, includes examples of effective programs as further "Dynamite Ideas,"
and offers a number of "Teaching Tips."
*/n this docwnent, the terms "drug" and "substance" refer to illicit substances as well as alcohol,
tobacco, prescription drugs, and other legal substances that, when ingested by a pregnant woman,
adversely affect the development of her baby.
0
,