NCJ Number
106676
Date Published
1986
Length
161 pages
Annotation
This study explores the definition, incidence, assessment, and program issues regarding the relationship between learning disabilities and juvenile offenders in Canadian juvenile institutions.
Abstract
A literature review examines the incidence of learning disabilities among juvenile offenders; the characteristics of the learning disabled juvenile and the juvenile offender; the assessment of learning disabled juveniles and programs for them; and the etiology of learning disabilities and their connection with juvenile delinquency from sociological, environmental pollutant, biochemical, and neurological perspectives. The study then explores the assessment and program alternatives currently used in Canada's juvenile training schools and clinics, based on questionnaires sent to 40 training school personnel and 36 clinics. Twenty-nine training schools and 16 clinics responded. The categories of abilities most often assessed in the institutions are physical, intellectual, and academic achievement, with behavioral observation being a major assessment component. The major program thrusts are academic and personal growth. The study recommends distinguishing between juvenile offenders with mild and serious learning disabilities. An initial component of this task would be the development of a screening instrument such as the proposed in this report. Further research should validate the use of such a screening instrument. 144-item bibliography and a questionnaire for identifying the academically underachieving juvenile offender.