Developmental Challenges of Young Children in Foster Care: Policy Statement

This policy statement updates a previous statement to reflect advances in our understanding of both prenatal and postnatal environmental influences on early brain development, including the effects of alcohol and substance exposures prior to birth and the effects of severe or chronic stress on child development secondary to neglect, physical and sexual abuse, family disruption, poverty, and racism. The accompanying clinical report provides a detailed examination of the developmental challenges faced by children in foster care younger than 5 years.