Choose a topic from the list below (or choose a topic of your own) to use as the foundation for this assignment. Use the Capella library and Internet to locate academic and professional articles on the topic. Use a minimum of three (at least one academic and one professional) recent (within the last 5 years) articles as resources for this assignment.

Topics:

The effect of maternal stress on prenatal development.
Prenatal exposure to drugs and the effects on brain development.
Environmental influences on prenatal development. Please select only one:
Diseases.
Outside environmental hazards.
Medications (legal and illegal).
Alcohol and tobacco.
The effect of maternal post-partum depression on newborn infant development.
The effects of premature birth on the developing infant.
Requirements
For this assignment:

Describe the problem as it exists today in the United States. Be sure to include any statistics on frequency, geographic distribution, cultural distribution, and so on.
Explain how the problem affects the developing infant.
Explain how the research findings have influenced both social thinking and social policies with regard to the problem.
Describe the research methods used to reach those findings.
Offer one intervention you would recommend if a client came to you with the selected problem.
Example assignment: You may use the assignment example, linked in the Resources, to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like.

Additional Requirements
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message and is consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions.
APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to APA (current edition) style and formatting.
Resources: Minimum of three scholarly or professional resources. Please note that popular resources such as Wikipedia or About.com are not considered to be appropriate.
Length: 34 typed, double-spaced pages not including title page and reference page.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Refer to the Infant Development Scoring Guide to ensure that you meet the grading criteria for this assignment.