Question
Can you give some family training strategies or themes that are beneficial to infants/children prenatally exposed to drugs?
Answer
That is going to be, not surprisingly so, very individual. However, plans like the Hanen Program®, plans like DIR® FloorTime; those are great plans in which it is as much about the family as it is about the child. Those would be the first two programs that come to mind. I also know there is a program or a couple programs where they are trying to work with moms while they are pregnant if, for example they are on methadone, to try and manage their addiction. There are several programs available that are trying to help those moms during that period, so that a lot of those guilty feelings can be really analyzed in a productive way. I would urge you to call your local university with a medical school and look at their neonatology department. Find out where that is. I know the one in Louisville, KY by Dr. Forbes. She has a plan called HARPS that she is has taught and shared with people. It is very much about being proactive with these moms so that they can help their child be successful as well.
Rhonda Mattingly is an assistant professor and clinical director in the Communicative Disorders department at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. She has been a speech language pathologist for 23 years and has specialized in working with the neonatal population in the NICU for the past 15 years. For much of that time she has worked with infants and children prenatally exposed to drugs.
