Cognitive deficiencies are those that deal with an individual's thinking and reasoning process. These abilities are seen in the beginning school years, not at birth, but are the subtle characteristics that only through the school environment can be recognized. In a class environment, the deficiencies of a cocaine child are often confused with those of a disruptive child. The underlying truth is: teachers are not able to cope with them on

The developmental setbacks in cocaine-exposed children are primarily seen in that of the cognitive aspect. The cognitive aspect deals with a variety of thinking and reasoning skills. These cognitive deficiencies are most evident during their development years. Whereas, there are striking differences between normal children and drug-exposed children as far as their motor deficiencies are concerned. They are more striking because they deal with the physical responses of a child (i.e. muscles and their reflexes). Undoubtedly, their social/behavioral deficiencies will have the greatest impact on their lives, because it is the foundation of what determines how their lives will end up socially as adults.

Vogel, Gretchen. (1997, October 3). Cocaine wreaks subtle damage on developing brains. Science, 278, 38-39.

An initial sign that some children demonstrate is a lack of concentration on virtually every task. Excessive disorganization beyond that of regular children along with being more than just the class nuisance can be characteristics of cocaine-exposed children. While most children are able to stay on task, these children will be easily deterred if given the opportunity. These children tend to exhibit a lack of exploration of the environment which results in less pretend play (Cates, 68). In a study done by Mayes, "when given a box of toys, for example they [spend] less time exploring the new toys than [do] the control children" (Vogel, 39). Another pending issue is that cocaine-exposed children do as well as regular children in settings with no distractions, such as a one-on-one quiet room session. The truth is that in real life there are a plethora of distractions. A study conducted at Wayne State University, in Detroit found "that teachers rated 27 cocaine-exposed 6-year-olds as having significantly more trouble paying attention than 75 non-exposed children (the teachers did not know who was who) (Begley, 1997, 63). Imitative play is a way of learning for toddlers, which drug-exposed children are less likely to demonstrate. As for these children, incentives do not work. Normal children are satisfied with receiving a lollipop for reciting the "ABC's" correctly. Cocaine-exposed children do not perceive this as a reward.

Drug exposure is a leading element in the breakdown of a child's developmental progress. However, there are so many adversities in the complexity of a drug-exposed child that it is difficult to pinpoint the leading cause of where his/her deficits come from. Undoubtedly, it has a large part to do with the quantity of cocaine that the mother used, the place where the child is brought up, and how much atte

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Approximate Word count = 1781
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)