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Abstract 1427Poster Session III, Monday, 5/3 (poster 22)
We evaluated the relationship between level of prenatal cocaine exposure and WPPSI-R scores at a mean age 48.8 months, obtained by masked examiners in a sample of 159 preschoolers (88% African-American/ African-Caribbean, 55% male) followed prospectively since birth at term. By post-partum maternal report and neonatal meconium assay 46% were not cocaine exposed, 37% lightly exposed, and 17% heavily exposed. At time of testing, caregivers reported that 67% had had no preschool intervention, 11% were receiving either center-based or individual remedial services, and 22% were attending Headstart or Early Childhood Programs for enrichment without being classified as in need of remedial services. In bivariate analyses (please see table below), level of prenatal cocaine exposure was not associated with statistically significant (p<.05, two tailed) differences in mean WPPSI Full Scale IQ (FSIQ), Verbal IQ (VIQ), and Performance IQ (PIQ) scores nor with proportion of children scoring below the 10th percentile on either national or sample norms on any score. In multivariable analyses including level of prenatal exposure to cocaine, cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana, biologic mother's years of education, child gender, and intervention coded as enrichment only vs. none and remedial vs. none, only biologic mother's education (regression coefficient 1.4, p=.03) and participation for enrichment in Headstart/Early Childhood (regression coefficient 5.9, p=.01) were significantly (p<.05) associated with Verbal IQ. In this sample, factors subject to environmental modification rather than level of prenatal exposures were critical determinants of verbal competence at age 4. These findings do not confirm popular expectations that children prenatally exposed to cocaine are poorly responsive to educational interventions beneficial to other low income children. (Table)
Frank, D., Jacobs, R., Beeghly, M. et al. Level of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure, Center Based Intervention, and Weschler Pre and Primary School Intelligence Scores (WPPSI-R) at Four Years of Age.
Pediatr Res45, 243 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199904020-01444
