Comparative study of the phonology of preschool children prenatally exposed to cocaine and multiple drugs and non-exposed children

• Published in: Journal of communication disorders Vol. 31; no. 3; pp. 231 - 244
• Main Authors: Madison, Charles L, Johnson, Jeanne M, Seikel, J.Anthony, Arnold, Marjorie, Schultheis, Leanne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.05.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Articulation Disorders - chemically induced; Articulation Disorders - diagnosis; Biological and medical sciences; Child clinical studies; Child, Preschool; Cocaine; Cocaine - adverse effects; Delayed Speech; Drug Abuse; Drugs; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant; Language Acquisition; Language and communication disorders; Language Development Disorders - chemically induced; Language Development Disorders - diagnosis; Male; Medical sciences; Phonology; Pregnancy; Prenatal; Prenatal Drug Exposure; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Prenatal Influences; Processes; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychotropic Drugs - adverse effects; Speech Impairments; Speech Intelligibility - drug effects; Substance-Related Disorders - diagnosis; Young Children; Drugs; Prenatal; Phonology; Cocaine; Processes; Human; Preschool age; Nervous system diseases; Infant; Exposure; Language disorder; Articulation; Communication disorder; Risk factor; Language development; Neurological disorder; Child
• ISSN: 0021-9924; 1873-7994
• DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9924(97)00091-9

Cocaine and multiple drug abuse among young adults has spawned research interest in fetal exposure and the sequela of that exposure during the formative developmental years. Previous study of the language development of exposed children has not specifically addressed phonological acquisition. In the present study, the speech of 25 children prenatally exposed to cocaine and multiple drugs was analyzed and compared to that of 25 children who were not prenatally exposed to determine if differences were evident in their phonological patterns. The children ranged in age from 22 months to 51 months. The number and type of phonological processes produced, number of utterances needed to produce a 50-word sample, number of unintelligible words produced, and Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) scores were recorded and analyzed. The use of cocaine and multiple drugs during pregnancy was associated with an increase in the use of phonological processes.