The Nature of Nurture: Biology, Environment And the Drug-exposed Child

I am a CASA (court appointed special advocate) and just came from a lecture by Dr. Ira Chasnoff. He is completely convincing and wonderfully qualified on this subject. He has run fascinating experiments and seems to have opened a completely new area of diagnosis for problem children. By running a diagnostic and treatment center for problem children, he can offer courses for people who deal with problem children or who are interested in starting a community program to deal with the growing problem. You might check into this...But, after diagnosis, what can be done to help the child? Dr. Chasnoff describes treatment and can prove its effectiveness. Elsewhere, these children are usually drugged and often over-drugged, but without solving their behavioral problems. He has designed a series of solutions to help the child cope with actual structural brain dificiencies (caused by pre-natal drug use). Of course, he has found that pre-natal drug use (including alcohol) affect behavior -- but, oddly, he has found that mothers who use drugs AFTER birth continue to affect the child's IQ! Thus treating the child without treating the mother can be futile (probably a reason why Head Start's good results do not last -- the parents must be treated too).Highly recommended. It may save a life. If you have a problem child, consider getting diagnosis and treatment with Dr. Chasnoff. Get involved with bringing this new information into use within your community!