The Mystery of Risk: Drugs, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and the Vulnerable Child

by Ira J. Chasnoff MD

The ill effects of a baby’s exposure to drugs and alcohol while in the womb are demonstrated in this essential reference with cutting-edge information from the fields of medicine, neuroscience, and child psychology. These findings posit that many of the learning and behavior problems seen in children—from poor school performance to patterns of impulsivity often diagnosed as ADHD—are both treatable and preventable. The book first traces the history of fetal malformation back to the time of Aristotle, then presents a resounding call for integrated systems of care for high-risk children and their families. Methods for applying behavior management and treatment techniques are included for health care practitioners, social workers, early childhood intervention specialists, special education teachers, and parents, whether for use at home, at school, or in the clinical setting.

Genres: Fostering, Adoption, Nonfiction, Psychology, Parenting

279 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://youtu.be/2YxWLj9H-dA

Was a good read. New a bit before I went into a day course to read it. Was better than a course cause it fill in the information with stories or experiences that gave me an idea of the information I was going through. If you have a FASD course read the book first once you get to 80 percent done the last 20 percent is notes or references to essays linking to how the book was made. And your all ready finished at 80% through it. Keep reading was a good read if your involved but make sure you don't burn yourself out reading this book on your time and working. Would have been nice to get paid to read it when work recommended it. Worth reading, check out the link if you want to know a little about the book before getting into it

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential read for those concerned for the welfare of kids and the impact of in utero substance exposure on our children.

[Roozbeh Daneshvar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have taken the advantage of the wealth of examples that the author has had readily available. I am not sure if it was written for professionals or laymen (like me). If it was written for the general public, it could have used more of story telling techniques to convey the message better. It could have also used a few more rounds of edits and brushes.

For me, the book was not an easy and straightforward read, maybe because of the tone and the lack of sufficient examples, or maybe because of my own personal experience with the subject. The second half of the book was more engaging and provided more down to earth advices. I was surprised and disappointed that how many of the shortcomings described in this book still exist after seven years. I was impressed by the overall positive message that this book gave, along with a few heart melting cases that were presented.

I would certainly recommend this book to families who have had the experience with prenatal drug and alcohol exposure.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Not sure I was really the intended audience. What little science there was to offer was definitely intriguing, but it's not been well-studied for a variety of reasons so they only had so much to offer, and their behavioral approaches offered nothing new. 🤷 In my opinion, you're better off reading The Connected Child and a book on brain inflammation, such as Healing Without Hurting. Both do a much better job in their respective areas (therapeutic approaches and scientific approaches) than this book tries as a combination of the two.