Special Education Students at Risk: A Comparative Study of Delinquency (From Understanding Troubled and Troubling Youth, P 61-81, 1990, Peter E Leone, ed. - See NCJ-124182)

• NCJ Number: 124186
• Author(s): C M Fink
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 22 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Information from learning disabled, mentally retarded, and nondisabled students from an urban school district in a southern state formed the basis of an analysis of the link between disabilities and delinquency.

Abstract

The data were gathered from 3,313 students in grades 6 through 12 in the spring of 1982. The sample included 1,174 learning disabled students and 82 mentally retarded students. Outcome measures included self-reported and officially recorded delinquency as well as factors associated with delinquency, such as problem behavior, personal and social development, social bonding, and school experiences. Analyses of covariance showed that learning disabled students were significantly more involved in serious delinquent behavior and in school discipline problems than were nondisabled students. Both mentally retarded and learning disabled students also showed poorer social development, social bonding, and academic performance in comparison to nondisabled students. Findings indicate the need for greater attention to several aspects of disabled youths' development. Tables, figure, appended methodological information, and 34 references.