Supporting preschoolers
The effects of prenatal exposure appear to lessen over time. This means that infants are the most significantly affected.
Some of the more general effects include:
- Behavioral extremes
- Easily over-stimulated
- Low tolerance for change
- Limit testing
- Unable to follow rules of play
- Unresponsive to criticism/discipline (or overly sensitive)
- Difficulty with peer relationships
- Decreased response to verbal praise
- Aggressiveness
- Poor representational play
- Decreased focused attention and concentration
- Lack of focus on tasks
- Sporadic mastery of spatial-motor tasks
- Inconsistent use of problem solving
- Auditory processing and word retrieval difficulties
Prenatal exposure to cocaine
- Behavioral and emotional difficulties
- Increased irritability, problems sustaining attention, difficult temperament, sleep and eating disorders, hypersensitivity and restlessness
- Both gross motor skill development (overall control of body movement) and fine motor skill development (co-ordination of body parts) may be slowed
Prenatal exposure to alcohol
- Small stature in relation to peers
- Poor coordination
- Hyperactive behavior
- Learning disabilities
- Speech and language delays
- Developmental retardation and low IQ
- Problems with daily living
- Poor reasoning and judgment skills
Managing Behavior
There are physical interventions that can be used to help preschoolers struggling with the effects of prenatal exposure, including:
- Provide opportunities to build motor skills using blocks, large puzzles, stacking toys
- Respond immediately to beginning attempts at verbal communication
- Provide a variety of tactile and small motor activities (water and sand play, pegboards, puzzles, blocks, Legos, etc)
- Guide the child through motor activities that emphasize the skills of rhythm, balance, and coordination
- Model and guide the child in learning to control the child’s body through songs, games, and play
- If child resists certain touches (hugs, kisses, etc) , establish what touches he or se is ok with and go from there
Emotional interventions include:
- Give verbal cues when preparing for transitions
- Offer verbal reassurance when separating from child
- Label emotions so the child can begin to recognize them
- Model the full range of emotions
- A child who has suffered trauma needs reminding that they are safe
There are also behavioral interventions such as:
- Talk about appropriate behavior and set consequences for inappropriate behavior (biting, kicking, etc.)
- Model the behavior you want to see
- Provide consistent reminders of appropriate behaviors in certain settings
- Help child identify signs of over-stimulation and develop strategies for self-regulation
Parents and other caregivers should also:
- Consult a speech and language specialist
- Continue to seek early intervention services
