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Developmentally Disabled Youth Under Community Supervision

NCJ Number
220532
Journal
Perspectives Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: Summer 2007 Pages: 42-45
Author(s)
Natalie Pearl Ph.D.
Date Published
2007
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article reports on an assessment of developmental disabilities among juveniles under community supervision in San Diego County, CA, and offers recommendations for improving services to these youth.
Abstract
The survey found that 17.6 percent of youth in the sample (n=567) had been diagnosed with at least one developmental disability. Findings were consistent with previous research (Burrell and Warboys, 2000) in showing that learning disability and emotional disturbance were the most common disability types among adjudicated youth with disabilities. The survey found that only 55.1 percent of developmentally disabled juvenile probationers in San Diego County had a current Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in their probation file. Ninety percent of disabled youth in the sample had a recent psychiatric evaluation in their files. Although schools have access to educational assessment tools and maintain students' academic histories, probation officers have extensive knowledge of the history, family life, and mental health conditions of the juveniles under their supervision. Instead of working independently, schools and probation departments must improve their collaboration in order to reduce barriers to improved educational achievement. The first step should be a comprehensive assessment of all youth supervised in the community. The second step is to share relevant information with educators currently serving learning disabled youth under supervision. The third step is to train school administrators, teachers, and probation officers in the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This training should include notification that information sharing within these systems does not violate the privacy mandates of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The result of information sharing regarding a youth's learning disabilities should result in the development of an IEP for each youth. 19 references