Learning Disabilities and Juvenile Delinquency

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that children with learning disabilities can easily become alienated from their families, schools and legal authorities. Alienated disabled children are more likely to associate with other alienated children, encouraging each other to commit acts of hostility and delinquency. The author points out that the social learning theory, which states that aggression is not inherited but rather learned through a process called behavior modeling, is the behavior theory most relevant to criminology. The paper concludes that there is no conclusive relationship between learning disabilities and delinquency; however, more research is needed to show that early signs of violence in children can be linked to their environment and a violence-prone history of hyperactive behavior.

Table of Contents
Learning Disability and Juvenile Delinquency
Specific Disabilities
Identifiable Traits
Vygotsky's Social Interaction
Zone of Proximal Development
Self-Regulation
Bandura's Observational Learning
B. F. Skinner's Approach To Learning
The Black Box Metaphor
Reinforcement and Repetition
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Finally, using Skinner's Methods, a student needs opportunities available from his parents and teachers that will give him something to do, something to learn and feel the self-confidence, as he interact with various peers. The student in a conducive environment, receiving encouragement and attention, will take on this learning responsibility and find areas of interest that will mold him for life (Skinner 1969). Students with learning disabilities have more difficulty than others in grasping concepts and communicating information in class. To be effective and ensure learning is taking place, teachers should modify their instruction to meet the various learning styles and abilities of each student with learning disabilities."

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