[Navy_RP_Wife]

Has anyone dealt with a child with crystal meth exposure, either in utero or enviromentally?

birthmom admitted using with B, denies with L, but did do her drug in the bathroom with the kids in the apartment, they did get contact highs from this. Its a little tough to figure out how often this happened, as they came to us at 3 and 6.

B is really having a rough time, and we are going to have a psych eval done on him, but am looking for behaviors we might not realize are possibly from exposure.

Thanks!

[Barksum]

My little ones who were exposed to meth were also exposed to alcohol, so I find more info and things that I can relate to their behaviors in the alcohol info. (FASD, which stands for 'fetal alcohol spectrum disorders'.) Additionally, one of mine was also neglected for the first year, so that adds complexity to his issues. I personally can't differentiate between the drugs (meth, alcohol, etc.) and the neglect. I mean, does the one have SI problems from the meth, the alcohol, or the neglect? Can any professional pin point that?? I do believe that the major behaviors related mostly to the sensory integration problems and the neglect. We had to deal with the SI stuff and work really hard to make sure that Ds dealt with the mild attachment issues he had before we made much progress.

There is a web site that might give you some helpful points of reference about early abuse/neglect. It's Welcome to ChildTrauma Academy ::::::::::: They even offer online courses, which I thought was pretty helpful.

This site is one I've read in years past, but haven't looked at for a bit. (Sometimes I get too involved in the daily stuff to pop into research mode.) Methamphetamine and Crank Babies - Children

You mention having a psych eval done. I'd encourage you to see about going to a neuropsychiatrist as this might be helpful, too. Neuropsych can put some of the brain/behavior connections together and help as a member of the treatment team.

"Neuropsychiatry is the branch of medicine dealing with mental disorders attributable to diseases of the nervous system.

It preceded the current disciplines of psychiatry and neurology, in as much as psychiatrists and neurologists had a common training (Yodofsky and Hales, 2002). However, neurology and psychiatry subsequently split apart and are typically practised separately. Nevertheless, neuropsychiatry has become a growing subspecialty of psychiatry and it is also closely related to the field of Behavioral Neurology, which is a subspecialty of Neurology that addresses clinical problems of cognition and/or behavior caused by brain injury or brain disease. 'Behavioral Neurology / Neuropsychiatry' fellowships are jointly accredited through the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS), in a manner similar to how the specialties of psychiatry and neurology in the United States have a joint board for accreditation, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)." from Neuropsychiatry - RightHealth Topic Page

Children who are exposed to drugs, either prenatally or post-natally often have some form of brain injury due to this exposure. This is why having a neuropsych involved might make sense.

[Navy_RP_Wife]

for the reply and i will get into looking into this information right away. Our children sounds similar except that B wasn't taken until he was 3 1/2 years old.

Seems we have a ray of hope because the only person that can get him in for an eval in the near future is a nueropsych that you mentioned.

Thank you again!

[trixila]

My daughter, 3 1/2, was exposed to a boatload of stuff. Or as I refer to it "she did not have an optimal in-utero experience"--a much nicer and vague way to express her situation. Bmom tested positive at delivery for poly-substances, and the baby went through withdrawal post delivery. If you are considering this placement, do your research now. Talk to your family/partner about what you can handle or NOT handle. We were fortunate to work with wonderful social workers at the out of state hospital. I had a phone conference with specialists at a research institute that specializes in exposed babies back at home in Chicago. We also had her meconium tested to determine the level of drugs present. We did not find out about the exposure until we were already in CA (we live in IL) so it was a surprise. But ya know, this girl came into our life for a reason. We have the tools and resources to parent her. My 9 yr adopted son has special needs as well, so we know the drill. It wasn't her fault that she was drug exposed. We stepped up to the plate and never looked back. We have her regularly assessed by specialists, used Early Intervention, and private therapy. And she is great! Super, meeting all of her developmental milestones, only a little behind. She is bright, beautiful, and alot of fun. She is a wonderful addition to our family. Did we dodge a bullet? Maybe. The adoption was off and on 6 times over the course of 10 days. The bgrandmother was trying to sell the baby on the black market--no lie, 30K was the asking price. But when I called my mom in tears over my worries and doubts, she reminded me that I could handle any concerns and do a great job with her.
Good luck!