Treatment of challenging behavior exhibited by children with prenatal drug exposure.
Standard functional assessment and function-based intervention work just as well for drug-exposed kids as for any other population.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Two children with prenatal drug exposure showed severe tantrums and aggression.
The team ran full functional analyses in clinic rooms. They tested if behavior got worse when adults gave attention, took away toys, or made demands.
After finding clear social functions, they built simple function-based plans: teach a new communication skill and stop the old payoff.
What they found
Both kids' problem behavior dropped to near zero within days.
The gains held for weeks with no extra drugs or harsh tactics.
Standard ABA tools worked just like they do for other kids—no special tweaks needed.
How this fits with other research
This study extends Hoffmann et al. (2018). They also used function-based plans, but focused on tiny precursor actions in preschoolers. F et al. show the same logic works for older, drug-exposed kids and full-blown tantrums.
Cruz-Montecinos et al. (2024) move the work into homes. They coached parents of fetal-alcohol kids to stack several antecedent tricks. F et al. kept the clinic model, yet both papers find success without harsh restraints.
Wiskow et al. (2018) tested the Good Behavior Game with a four-year-old who had fetal alcohol syndrome. Their class-wide plan cut disruption to peer levels. F et al. prove one-on-one function-based work is still valid when group plans are not an option.
Why it matters
If you serve children with prenatal drug or alcohol exposure, run the same FA you already know. Match the intervention to the function—attention, escape, or tangible—and expect strong, fast change. No need for special protocols; your current skill set is enough.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A large body of literature exists describing the harmful effects of prenatal drug exposure on infant and child development. However, there is a paucity of research examining strategies to ameliorate sequelae such as externalizing behavior problems. In the present study, functional analysis procedures were used to assess challenging behavior exhibited by two children who were prenatally exposed to drugs of abuse. Results for both children indicated that challenging behavior was maintained by access to positive reinforcement (adult attention and tangible items). For one child, challenging behavior was also maintained by negative reinforcement (escape from activities of daily living). Function-based interventions were effective in reducing challenging behavior for both children. Implications for utilizing methods of applied behavior analysis in research with children with prenatal drug exposure are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2008 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2007.05.007