With the Special Education Review in train I read yesterday with interest and concern about the study conducted by Dr Julia Rucklidge from Canterbury University titled Criminal Offending and Learning Disabilities in New Zealand Youth. Sixty young people from two youth prisons participated in the study which investigated the prevalence of learning disabilities among youth offenders. In addition, the study followed the participants investigating the relationship between reading comprehension and recidivism in the subsequent four years following release from prison.

The learning disabilities measured were reading, mathematics, and oral language abilities. The study found a high prevalence of learning disability among the participants with 92% demonstrating significant difficulties in one or more of these areas. Four years on from the initial assessment, the research team reviewed the participants’ police histories to determine the correlation between reading comprehension and re-offending. This study is the first to examine this relationship and the findings suggest that those with lower levels of reading comprehension are more likely to re-offend and if so, to re-offend seriously and persistently.

This study is the most comprehensive undertaken to date that examines the extent of learning disabilities among the youth prison population in New Zealand. While the findings are most certainly of concern, they serve the very important function of informing policy with a view to prevent youth offending and recidivism. As Dr Rucklidge discusses in her closing statements, “early identification of children at risk of reading problems has once again been highlighted as a significant social policy issue.” A solemn statement to be sure, and one that, as Associate Minister of Education, I will keep in mind.