A nationally recognized psychologist will be on campus Thursday to discuss surveys that examine the policies and practices concerning prenatal drug exposure.
UNM's Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions will sponsor the lecture by Dr. Stephen Ondersma at 4 p.m. at the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions, Building Two in Room 110.
The center is at 2350 Alamo Ave. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Ondersma is a clinical psychologist and professor at the Merrill-Palmer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit.
He will talk about two nationwide surveys that he conducted to research current policies and beliefs regarding prenatal drug exposure.
In his first survey, he asked child welfare supervisors to describe their responses to babies that were exposed to drugs.
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He also asked district attorneys across the United States to document how many times they prosecute mothers who take drugs.
They were also asked about their understanding of the dangers of various abused drugs.
He will describe the results of both of these surveys in detail.
The National Resource Center for Respite and Care Services in Virginia, the leading drug research institute in the country, reports that the number of babies exposed to drugs is more than 550,000 a year.
According to the center's Web site, babies who were exposed to drugs prenatal are often born premature and may suffer attention disorders.
Infants who were exposed to drugs may exhibit a disorder, which is characterized by a loss of weight, or slowing of weight gain and a failure to reach developmental milestones, according to the Web site.
They also may not be successful in school and might have a hard time in social situations. The worst-case scenario is death.
Infants who have been prenatal exposed to alcohol and/or drugs have an increased risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
According to the Web site, the cause of the syndrome is unknown and its occurrence is almost impossible to predict,.
The average age of women who use illegal drugs while pregnant is 15, according to information from the center.
Survey results showed that 221,000 women used illegal drugs during their pregnancies last year, and marijuana and cocaine were the most frequently used.
