ABSTRACT
An important issue in research on the long-term effects of prenatal substance exposure is the merging of disciplines that use different research models to organize hypotheses and analyze data. Initially, the effects of prenatal exposure are expressed biologically and are studied using a teratologic model. However, children exposed prenatally to substances are often raised by a substance-using parent in a household where substances are used and are exposed to the environmental influences of this use and the other characteristics that describe these households. With the aim of increasing the level of understanding between those who use a basic teratologic model and those who use developmental models, this chapter presents the basic teratologic model, some of the methodological issues associated with this research, and an example of the longterm teratologic effects of alcohol.
