ABSTRACT
One of the biggest challenges in addressing the developmental issues of drug-exposed children has been finding their place in the educational policy arena. As pointed out in the previous chapter, the link between drug exposure status and developmental adversities has been and still remains controversial. Although there was considerable attention given to serving drug-affected children in the context of educational programs, uncertainty about how the condition actually affects children created barriers to their eligibility for services under special education policy legislation. The amendments made to such policies during the 1990s drew attention to the complexities involved in defining at-risk as the term relates to children with nontraditional developmental impairments, particularly the drugimpacted population. Such policies were developed to address the new types of developmental problems and the growing need for special education among primary school students. The politics of at-risk in the context of funding services for crack babies also raised questions regarding which children should be entitled to services under special education legislation.
