Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome May Not Impact Academic Performance

FRIDAY, April 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Academic achievement is similar for children with and without a history of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), according to a study published in the June issue of The Lancet Regional Health Americas.Tammy E. Corr, D.O., from Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, and colleagues compared longitudinal academic achievement test scores in school-aged children with and without a history of NAS. The analysis included 3,494 students matched for bio-socio-environmental factors (23 percent with a history of NAS).The researchers found that mean test scores between students with and without a history of NAS were similar for English/Language Arts (−6.3 points) and math (−8.9 points)."Based on previous literature, I expected to see a more prominent difference in academic performance," Corr said in statement. "But when you start to put the whole story together -- they didn’t have access to early childhood education to give them a solid head start, they’re enrolled in poorly rated schools, their families may be struggling with financial insecurities -- it’s not hard to understand why kids with a history of NAS may not be performing as well as some of their peers."Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome May Not Impact Academic Performance

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