Hype concerning the adverse effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine escalated during 1980s. This is blamed on the media for blowing up the matter beyond what doctors considered accepted effects. However, the media was not utterly wrong because a research by Doweiko (2006) asserts that prenatal exposure to cocaine abounds some characteristics to a newborn baby, which some quarters refer to as “crack babies”. Some evident characteristics include subtle deficits in language and intelligence, emotional problems, and birth defects. Thus, this essay expounds on how PCE results to “crack babies”.
Firstly, Guest (2006) confirms that fetuses exposed to cocaine are usually born with birth defects. Notably, birth defects are considered as a congenital disorder and usually exist before birth or at birth. This disorder becomes evident in “crack babies” especially after the first month of life. It is blamed on the intrauterine environment, which usually results because of using cocaine.
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According to Houston (2001), “crack babies” was not a media hype, but it existed for real. This is true because children born from mothers who use cocaine get affected by subtle deficits in intelligence and language. Doweiko (2006) considers this as a sign of “crack babies”, because the children who get affected require special education needs while their normal counterparts comprehend easily regarding education.
Lastly, PCE results to “crack babies” because they exhibit emotional problems, which is a characteristic of many drug users. Guest (2006) contends that although children born with ADHD also exhibit emotional problems, the direct link between PCE and children with emotional problems confirms the fact regarding “crack babies”.
In conclusion, research has dissipated the argument that the media was wrong concerning “crack babies” only that they overblew the topic. This is because some evident developmental issues are abound in children born out of PCE. These developmental issues include emotional problems, language,intelligence deficiency, and birth defects.