Prenatal Exposures

Section I: Introduction.
- The importance of the prenatal central nervous system development.
- Overview prenatal central nervous system development.

Section II: The demography of normal and abnormal childbirth.
- Normal birth patterns.
- Demographic characteristics resulting in fetal death: a model for fetal developmental risk.

Section III: Prematurity and low birth weight: The great mediator of developmental pathologies.
- Prematurity and low birth weight: Defining the problem.
- Prematurity and low birth weight: Learning and behavior outcomes.

Section IV: Maternal ingested toxins.
- Maternal smoking.
- Maternal alcohol use.
- Maternal use of other recreational drugs.

Sections V: Maternal medical and psychological conditions.
- Prenatal nutrition.
- Maternal infection.
- Maternal illness other than infection.
- Maternal stress during pregnancy.
- Other maternal characteristics.
- Perinatal events: delivery complications.

Section VI: Environmental factors.
- Environmental toxins: Air, water, and food pollutants.
- Temperature, photoperiod, and other geophysical factors.

Section VII: Summary.
- A model of prenatal perturbations to development.
- Screening for prenatal perturbation in clinical work.
- Appendix.

Roy Martin, Ph.D., obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Texas. He is a licensed psychologist and a diplomate in professional psychology. He has spent his career training school psychologists, first at Temple University, then at the University of Georgia. At the University of Georgia he served in various administrative positions including Head of the Department of Educational Psychology. He also has been elected president of the School Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, and is a fellow of three divisions of APA. He is the recipient of the Jack Bardon Award in School Psychology, and the Aderhold Distinguished Professor Award from the University of Georgia. He has been an active contributor to research on temperament in young children, and to prenatal factors that are associated with adverse psychological and educational outcomes for children.

Stefan C. Dombrowski, Ph.D., is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He completed a post doctoral fellowship in clinical child psychology at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. He is a Professor and the Director of the School Psychology Training program at Rider University. Dr. Dombrowski is also a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. He has published widely, including in the areas of child abuse and psychometry. He also is an active researcher in the area of prenatal exposures as they adversely impact children's psychological, behavioral, and educational functioning.

From the reviews:

"Martin and Dombrowski's new book, Prenatal Exposures: Psychological and Educational Consequences for Children (Springer, 2008), is well documented and incisive. They collect in one volume an impressive amount of scientific evidence, and they do not stray far from this evidentiary base when drawing conclusions and identifying trends that may inform future research and current practices. Thanks to these characteristics this text is authoritative and, therefore, of particular importance for graduate training in pediatrics, child and school psychology, nursing, and preparation of other professionals who commonly have to estimate the potential impact of proven and purported teratogens. I congratulate the authors on this accomplishment and recommend highly their text for researchers and clinicians alike."
R.W. Kamphaus, Ph.D., Dean and Distinguished Research Professor College of Education, Georgia State University

"This text represents a landmark contribution to pediatric and developmental psychology. Understanding the link between prenatal development and lifelong outcomes has become integral to global medical and psychological practice. The authors offer a timely, in-depth, and succinct perspective important for clinicians, practitioners, and policy makers."
Martin Mrazik, Ph.D., R.Psych., Clinical Neuropsychologist, University of Alberta

"This volume presents a comprehensive and well-organized integration of research conducted across many fields of study. The book is remarkable in that it strikes a unique balance between scholarship and practicality. Practitioners and students from many disciplines will find this text to be highly informative, useful, and readable."
Thomas J. Power, Ph.D., Professor of School Psychology in Pediatrics Director, Center for Management of ADHD, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania