Learning disabilities in dropout delinquent adolescents. Differentiating between characteristics of dropout delinquent and school-going adolescents

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine and compare the occurrence of specific learning disabilities as they appear in dropout delinquent adolescents as compared with adolescents enrolled in regular school. The work is based on research that indicates that specific learning disabilities may exist in dropout delinquents. The study examines the evaluation records of two populations with learning disabilities treated in a psycho-educational center in Israel - delinquent dropouts and school-going adolescents. Our research hypothesis was that the characteristics of learning disabilities would be different between the two groups, and that this difference would be expressed in the frequency in which specific characteristics were present in dropout delinquent adolescents in comparison to the same characteristics in the school-going pupils. The findings indicate significant differences between the two groups in the frequency of certain types of disabilities in visual perception, reading, and language. This research does not address the causality of these differences but rather uses them as approaches for designing therapeutic intervention for the dropout-delinquent population.