Effects of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure on Growth: A Longitudinal Analysis. Gale A. Richardson, PhDa, Lidush Goldschmidt, PhDb and Cynthia Larkby, PhDa (a. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; b. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). CONCLUSIONS. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the long-term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure to conduct longitudinal growth-curve analyses using 4 time points in childhood. Children who were exposed to cocaine during the first trimester grew at a slower rate than those who were not exposed. These findings indicate that prenatal cocaine exposure has a lasting effect on child development. [ See abstract ] [ See full text] [ PDF ]