The Littlest Victims

13 Pages 3139 Words

and flushes the drug out of the system. Less also states that unless the baby has a positive urine test, prenatal exposure may go unrecognized, even when the child begins to show adverse developmental effects (Lass 103). George Calhoun esteemed writer for Education states that once drug afflicted children have been diagnosed, treatment must be designed to focus on cognitive and affective deficiencies (Calhoun 117). Many mothers are too scared to let the doctor know they used drugs during their pregnancy, and therefore the guilt ove!
rcomes and the life of the child is put into even greater harm.
To fully understand how drugs affect the brain it is essential to look at the stages of development from conception to birth. Lass states, “that during the first three weeks after conception, the embryo forms a three layered, oval plate” (Lass 103). Less explains that the neural tube is formed, which eventually becomes the central nervous system. Most importantly Lass notes that part of the cerebral hemispheres, midbrain, pons, medulla, and the cerebellum are formed in just the first three weeks (Lass 103). The key elements of the body, the brain and the central nervous system can be damaged in just the first three weeks of a fetus’s life. Encyclopedia Britannica notes that at the end of the first month, the embryo has reached a size of 5mm and most of the major organ systems have started to form (1). Most women, unless the child was planned, don’t even know they are pregnant the first month, and this is such a vital stage in the development of the baby.
The first month of growth involves miraculous steps that should not be tampered with the use of drugs. Encyclopedia Britannica states that organ systems continue to develop during the second month, also the sex of the baby is determined. The baby’s legs are formed by the end of the second month and the major steps in organ development have occurred. Now the em...