Relationship Between Learning Disabilities and Juvenile Delinquency - Executive Summary

• NCJ Number: 87598
• Author(s): N Dunivant
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 27 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-JN-AX-0028
• Sponsoring Agency: US Securities and Exchange Cmssn
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for State Courts
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report summarizes the results of research designed to investigate the relationship between learning disabilities (LD) and juvenile delinquency and to evaluate the effectiveness of academic remediation in improving educational achievement and reducing delinquency among learning-disabled delinquents.

Abstract

A cross-sectional study of 1,943 adolescent males sampled from public schools, juvenile courts, and corrections facilities found that LD and delinquency were significantly related. A longitudinal investigation of 351 officially nondelinquent boys assessed the development of delinquency over a 2-year period. Results of this research were generally consistent with those from the cross-sectional study. The evaluation of an academic treatment program demonstrated that remedial instruction was effective in improving academic skills and decreasing both the self-reported and official delinquency of learning-disabled youths who had been officially adjudicated. The degree of effectiveness depended upon the amount of remediation received and upon certain intellectual and social characteristics of the participants. Implications for public policy and future research are discussed. A total of 20 references are included. (Author abstract modified)