Problem-solving ability of inner-city children with and without in utero cocaine exposure.
To evaluate the problem-solving abilities of a cohort of inner-city cocaine-exposed children and controls, children were invited to play with the Goodman Lock Box, a large red and blue box with 10 compartments, each having a different lock and toy. Examiners, blinded to the children's group status, coded the children's activities during the 6.5-minute play period. Nineteen behaviors were collapsed into three outcomes: Aimless Actions, Competence, and Mental Organization. Groups' scores were compared with scores of the Goodman standardization sample of mixed socioeconomic status preschoolers. Seventy-three cocaine-exposed children and 82 controls were evaluated at age 3.5 years; of these, 58 cocaine-exposed and 63 controls were reevaluated at age 4.5 years. The groups' scores did not differ on any outcome at either time point (p > or = .22). However, both groups' Mental Organization scores were consistently lower than the Goodman group at each age (p < .01). This high-risk cohort may experience problems functioning in more complex environments such as the classroom.
Betancourt
L
L
Division of Neonatology, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19141, USA.
Fischer
R
R
Giannetta
J
J
Malmud
E
E
Brodsky
N L
NL
Hurt
H
H
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003042:Cocaine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011340:Problem Solving; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D003042:Cocaine