NCJ Number
56981
Date Published
1973
Length
12 pages
Annotation
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEUROPATHOLOGICALLY BASED LEARNING DISABILITIES AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IS EXAMINED, WITH REFERENCE TO A RHODE ISLAND STUDY OF 45 DELINQUENT MALES.
Abstract
A NUMBER OF STUDIES HAVE SUGGESTED PHYSIOLOGICAL AS WELL AS PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS IN THE ETIOLOGY OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. THESE STUDIES HAVE DEALT WITH THE HYPERKINETIC IMPULSE DISORDER IN CHILDREN, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS AND NEUROLOGICAL AND PERCEPTUAL ABNORMALITIES, AND THE INABILITY OF SOME DELINQUENT YOUTHS TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO EMOTIONAL STIMULI. DESPITE THE OBVIOUS SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE SYMPTOMS OF MANY PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS AND THE BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS OF DELINQUENTS, VIRTUALLY NO EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT THESE DISORDERS IN DELINQUENTS. AT THE RHODE ISLAND TRAINING SCHOOL, A RANDOM SELECTION OF HALF OF ALL INCOMING RESIDENTS ARE EXAMINED AS PART OF ROUTINE INTAKE PROCEDURES. NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF 45 INCOMING MALE DELINQUENTS FOUND THAT 26 (58 PERCENT) WERE SUFFERING FROM SOME TYPE OF ADAPTIVE DYSFUNCTION: 17 SHOWED SIGNS OF MILD TO MODERATE CHRONIC CEREBRAL DYSFUNCTION; 7 SHOWED EVIDENCE OF PERIPHERAL ABNORMALITIES, INCLUDING SUBCONVULSIVE SEIZURES; AND 2 SHOWED PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHIES. THE BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES OF THESE YOUTHS INCLUDED FAULTY KINESTHETIC FEEDBACK, DYSFUNCTION IN EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE, AUDITORY DISCRIMINATION DISORDER, VISUAL/PERCEPTUAL DEFICIT, PERCEPTUAL/MOTOR INCOORDINATION, LEFT-RIGHT CONFUSION, DYSLEXIA, AND DYSCALCULIA--ALL OF WHICH HAVE OBVIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ABILITY OF THE YOUTHS TO LEARN AND TO FUNCTION. IF THESE DISABILITIES ARE IDENTIFIED EARLY, MANY OF THE PROBLEMS THAT CAN LEAD TO DEVIANT BEHAVIOR MIGHT BE AVOIDED. TEACHERS, CHILD CARE WORKERS, AND PARENTS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE SYMPTOMS OF IMPAIRMENT (HYPERACTIVITY, SHORT ATTENTION SPAN, LOW TOLERANCE FOR DISTRACTION AND FRUSTRATION, IMPULSIVENESS, ETC.). PARENTS SHOULD BE OPEN WITH CHILDREN ABOUT LEARNING DISABILITIES. ONE CHILD WHOSE PARENTS HAD TAKEN HIM FROM DOCTOR TO DOCTOR WITHOUT A WORD OF EXPLANATION CONCLUDED THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO DIE AND THAT HIS PARENTS WERE AFRAID TO TELL HIM. SUPPORTING DATA FROM THE RHODE ISLAND STUDY ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)