Learning Disabilities

Extent of Learning Disabilities

Among students at public schools (from which many delinquents come), it is estimated that 5 percent have learning disabilities. While it has long been established that school failure (especially in reading) is common among juvenile delinquents, the possible variance for which learning disabilities may be responsible is yet unknown. One problem is that many juvenile offenders are not screened for disabilities when apprehended. However, from the juveniles who are, it appears that youngsters with learning disabilities are overrepresented among those adjudicated delinquent. From these sketchy data, delinquents with learning disabilities represent about 32 percent to 36 percent of those adjudicated delinquent.

[Page 232]In the broadest sense, learning disabilities involve a marked and chronic discrepancy between a person's intellect and achievement. Usually, in diagnosing the condition, there will be an attempt to rule out the influence of the following:

• 1.
  Poor schooling (if others similarly situated seem to be doing well).
• 2.
  Mental retardation (if the juvenile has an IQ score greater than 70 to 85).
• 3.
  Illnesses or medication that might affect learning.
• 4.
  Impaired vision and/or hearing.
• 5.
  Comprehension problems related to having English as a second language.
• 6.
  Cultural influences.
• 7.
  Economic disadvantages.
• 8.
  The effects of absenteeism (an indication of the juvenile's motivation).

The most problematic aspect of constructing a uniform definition of learning disabilities to work with has been in measuring the level of achievement that an individual should possess, given a certain level of intelligence. For the most part, a standard test for measuring intelligence is the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Revised (WISC-R), for which a score above 70 (which rules out mental retardation) would be compared with a person's actual academic achievement. However, there is no standard measure for achievement. Expected achievement per grade level varies from state to state and so do the instruments that measure achievement. For example, California schools may use the California Achievement Test (CAT) while New York schools may use the Regents test.

Origins of Learning Disabilities

Also problematic in the standardization of learning disabilities is the controversy regarding their origin. There are eight main theoretical positions on the cause of learning disorders: reproductive causality, genetics, brain anatomical variations, developmental or acquired brain damage, biochemical factors, traumatic experiences, faulty teaching, and an impaired home experience.

Theories of reproductive causalities state that there are environmental factors in the pre- and postnatal periods of development that lead to learning disabilities (for example, maternal-fetal blood type incompatibility, an infant's shortage of oxygen during birth, and substance abuse during pregnancy). Genetic theories focus on dyslexia. These theories are based on family and twin studies indicating that many juveniles with reading problems also have family members with similar problems. Brain anatomical variation theories have a basic premise that learning disabilities are the result of symmetry in the temporal lobes. Normally, the left lobe is larger than the right. In LD individuals, although the left lobe is not necessarily smaller than usual, the right lobe is larger than usual, which impairs the ability to analyze stimuli related to learning and interactions.

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