Children prenatally exposed to alcohol and drugs face increasing neurodevelopmental challenges as they grow and develop. These challenges translate into behavioral and learning difficulties in the classroom and in the home.  This session will provide a conceptual framework for understanding these difficulties from a regulatory perspective and discuss how this framework can be applied to the development of behavioral and educational interventions in the classroom.

This session will present and discuss:

• a framework for understanding the brain-based developmental and behavioral difficulties of ADULTS affected by prenatal substance use exposure;

• how this framework can be applied to understanding risk for involvement in the criminal justice system;

• common behaviors seen in adults affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and illicit drugs in the context of court involvement;

• consideration of prenatal substance use and FASD as mitigating factors in adjudication and sentencing.

This session will present and discuss:

• a framework for understanding the brain-based developmental and behavioral difficulties of CHILDREN AND TEENS affected by prenatal substance exposure;

• how this framework can be applied to understanding the risk for involvement in the criminal justice system;

• the importance of proper screening, diagnosis, and support/intervention for children and teens affected by prenatal substance exposure.