Document Type

Capstone

Abstract

Children that have been exposed in utero to illicit drug use by their mothers is a growing problem in society. These children enter the early childhood education system with biological changes to their brains that affect their ability to learn and engage effectively with others. They present with a wide variety of behaviors that they may or may not be able to control. Often these children are labeled as just not trying. An evidenced-based PowerPoint presentation named Change the Environment; Change the Child was developed to provide early childhood educators a better understanding of this population's needs and of interventions to help address their needs. The focus was to inform developmental educators on the factors that affect children who have been exposed to drugs in utero, the repercussions to the child's ability to self-regulate, and environmental changes that can be made to improve attention and self-regulation. The objectives of this capstone were to first determine the interest and perceived need of early intervention administrators and educators of the proposed subject matter and secondly, to determine the perceived value of the presentation in providing insight for improved understanding and skills for interaction with this vulnerable population. The data was collected via a pre-survey prior to the presentation and a post-survey given following the presentation. The results indicated that there is an overwhelming need for information for early childhood educators to help improve their understanding and interactions with these children. The data also indicated that the presentation, Change the Environment; Change the Child, provided the participants with an increased understanding of this population and felt the sensory strategies provided would be of aid to their engagement with this population.

Publication Date

2020

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