Abstract
The outcome of infants born to drug dependent women maintained on methadone during pregnancy has been an area of special concern. The consequences of such exposure for the neonate and young infant have been widely investigated. However, there have been few studies to determine if preschool children exposed to methadone in-utero have impaired cognitive functioning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cognitive function of preschool children born to women maintained on methadone during pregnancy. Forty-five children (27 methadone exposed children (M) and 18 non-drug exposed comparison(C) children) were evaluated with the McCarthy Scale of Children's Abilities when the children were between 3-1/2 and 4-1/2 years of age. All children were participants in a longitudinal study examining developmental outcome from birth through 5 years of age. The mean daily maternal methadone dose during pregnancy was 38.42 mg. and 92% of the children required pharmacotherapy for neonatal abstinence. Student t-tests revealed no difference between groups on the McCarthy General Cognitive Index(GCI) or any of the 6 subscales. Mean scores were: GCI(M) 106.51, (C) 106.05; Verbal(M) 53.44, (C) 54.33; Perceptual(M) 55.51 (C) 53; Quantitative(M) 51.33 (C) 53.38; Memory(M) 49.51, (C) 52.27; and Motor(M) 52.29, (C) 50.44. These results indicate that the general cognitive ability of children in the pre-school years who have been exposed to methadone in-utero is not impaired.
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Kaltenbach, K., Finnegan, L. CHILDREN EXPOSED TO METHADONE IN-UTERO: COGNITIVE ABILITY IN THE PRESCHOOL YEARS. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 182 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00092
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00092