EXCEPTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND THE

PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER THAT AFFECT CHILDREN

Introduction:
Gifted children are those who score 130 or above on an intelligence test and
have creative, artistic, leadership. The special talents these children have make
them gifted. Gifted children fail to fit any stereo type. For this reason, varied
educational programs are offered to provide them with more experience for
enrichment. These are experiences beyond what children ordinarily get.
Acceleration is also done to gifted children allowing them to advance beyond
their grade level. Gifted children may excel in music, art, mathematics, language,
science, and even in sports.
On the other hand, there are children with learning disabilities. They are of
average or above average intelligence and manifest a discrepancy between
expected and actual performance. These children perform academic tasks
poorly, which may likely be attributed to a neurological dysfunction. Learning
among disabled students falls at least two grade levels behind classmates and
whatever difficulties related to learning cannot be traced to emotional or sensory
dysfunction. Social skills are also affected reflected in their inability to relate,
interact with others and work with groups, thus, reducing opportunities to learn
and acquire skills, necessary to learn faster and better.

Objectives:
1. To define and classified the Juvenile Delinquency
2. To know the factors contributing to the Juvenile Delinquency
3. To discuss Psychological Disorders that Affect Children

Discussion:

Juvenile Delinquency
Define as a habitual committing of criminal acts or offenses by a young
person, especially one below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is
possible. Juvenile delinquents are minors, usually defined as being between the
ages of 10 and 18, who have committed some act that violates the law. These
acts aren’t called “crimes” as they would be for adults. Rather, crimes committed
by minors are called “delinquent acts.” Instead of a trial, the juvenile has an
“adjudication,” after which she receives a “disposition” and a sentence. However,
juvenile proceedings differ from adult proceedings in a number of ways.
Delinquent acts generally fall into two categories. The first type of delinquent act
is one that would be considered a crime had an adult committed it. For
particularly serious crimes, some jurisdictions will even try children as adults.
When children are tried as juveniles, on the other hand, parents are often
required to pay the court costs for the child.
The second type of delinquent act is one that wouldn’t normally be a crime
had an adult performed it. These are typically known as “age-related” or "status”
crimes. The most common examples of age-related crimes are staying out past
curfew and “truancy,” which is the continued failure to attend school.

Factors Contributing to Juvenile Delinquency

It has long been a problem why some children steal and not others, why
some play truant, or why some set fires and damage property. Theories have
been advanced from time to time to explain these things, but only in the last ten
or fifteen years have extensive scientific investigation been carried out on these
problems. Officers of the juvenile courts, child welfare associations, educational
bodies, and mental hygiene clinics have been instrumental in bringing together a
vast amount of data concerning juvenile delinquency, from which certain general
conclusions may be drawn.
Delinquency itself is socially inadequate adjustment on the part of the
individual to difficult situations. The factors which go to make up these difficult
situations, together with the mental and physical conditions which influence an
individual's capacity to adjust, constitute the causes of delinquency.
Each juvenile offense is the outcome of a complexity of causes, some of
whose origins date back years before the committal of the offense and others
whose origins are more obviously and immediately connected with the act of
delinquency. It has been shown that a different set of causes is involved in each
individual case. It is impossible therefore to state the group of causes which will
invariably result in any particular offense.
The factors which operate to turn a child's behavior in one direction rather
than another may be very obscure, many as yet are beyond the detection of
expert sociologists, psychologists, physiologists and others. It often appears that
quite different offenses are the results of the same group of causes, but further
investigation shows that still other factors are present in each case which
determine the type of delinquency. For example, a poverty-stricken, unhappy
home and irregular earnings in the evening may lead one boy to play truant from
school in order to earn more money, may cause another to steal, or may result in
another's joining a street gang and gambling. More intensive investigation in
each case would bring to light the specific factors responsible for these
differences.
In spite of the great complexity and diversity of the causes of delinquency,
cases are found to have many factors in common. The different combinations of
these factors are largely responsible for the differences in offenses. It should be
possible, therefore, to draw up a list of conditioning factors from a study of a
large number of cases which would cover most of the possibilities, and from
which could be isolated any group or combination of factors applicable to a
particular case. Such a list should prove to be a diagnostic aid for all workers in
the field of juvenile delinquency.
The following outline comprises the factors which have been found to
operate in some thousands of cases studied and reported on by various
authorities. These factors are classed under six general headings: Physical
factors, mental factors, Home conditions, School conditions, Neighborhood
conditions, and Occupational conditions. The first two groups include all factors
dependent upon the bodily and mental condition of the delinquent. These are the
product of both heredity and environment. The other four groups consist of
environmental factors: unfavorable conditions in the home and the family of the
child, unfavorable, conditions in the school environment, the neighborhood, and
occupational environments.
An itemized list is presented first, followed by a short discussion of each
factor. A brief analysis is given and the way in which each factor may determine
delinquency is indicated. No attempt has been made to evaluate the importance
of the various factors, because this problem is too controversial and any
statement would be merely a matter of opinion. Moreover, the less important
factors need to be stressed as they are the most likely to be overlooked. The few
quotations included are merely illustrative of the points in question, and were
chosen because of their apparent truth rather than their authoritative source.
Physical Factors:
The bodily condition of a child may affect his behavior in one or more of three
ways. First, it may be the direct cause of delinquent behavior. Secondly, it may
form a handicap to the child's achievement or favorable relationship with other
children and adults, as in the case of malnutrition and defects. Delinquency may
result as an attempt on the part of the child to compensate for these disabilities.
Thirdly, bodily conditions such as certain developmental aberrations and physical
exuberance may supply a superfluity of energy which finds outlet in delinquency.
The various physical conditions of the child which may thus determine
delinquency are outlined in the following paragraphs.
Mental Factor
Mental factors, like physical factors, may determine delinquent behavior in
one or more of three ways: (1) Delinquency may be the direct response to, or
expression of, a particular mental state, for example, obsessive imagery. (2)
Delinquency may be the expression of certain impulses or emotions left
uncontrolled or stimulated by a special mental condition; or it may be a symbolic
representation of such K. M. BANHAM BRIDGES impulses. (3) Delinquency may
be an attempt at adjustment or compensation for certain mental peculiarities.
Home Condition
Home conditions can only be indirect causes of delinquency. They react upon
the child's mind and body altering his mental and physical condition which in their
turn determine his behavior. The conditions in the home and the family
relationships which influence more particularly the mental life of the child are
perhaps even more important as causes of delinquency than factors which affect
mostly the physical condition of the child. Coming from the same home
environment one child may become delinquent while his brother may become a
great thinker or reformer. The reason for this is no doubt partly to be found in the
difference between the native endowments of the two children, but it may also be
in the fact that the home conditions "apparently the same" for both children were
by no means the same. The actual physical, economic and social part of the
situation may have been identical for each child, but the psychological part quite
different. One child may have received more praise and encouragement from his
parents, have excelled more at games and have been idolized by his playfellows
or younger brothers and sisters. One boy may have been surrounded by a halo
of success and approval and the other boy by a shadow of failure, incompetence
and parental disappointment. Moreover, there might be differences in school and
neighborhood conditions which would further determine each boy's behavior.
School Conditions
School conditions, like the home conditions, may be considered as indirect
causes of delinquency, although in either may be found the chief source of the
trouble. It is the effect which these conditions have upon the particular child's
mind and body which actually causes delinquent behavior.
Neighborhood Conditions
Neighborhood conditions may determine a child's behavior just as home and
school conditions may do, through their effect upon the child's mental attitude
and physical condition.
Psychological Disorders that Affect Children
Behaviors that a child fails to control to be able to suit the demands of a given
environment are termed under controlled disorders. They can come in the form of
non-compliance, disobedience, rule violation, and aggression. These behaviors
impact on those people in the child’s environment. These disorders are classified
as conduct disorders and deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Conduct Disorder
"Conduct disorder" refers to a group of behavioral and emotional problems in
youngsters. Children and adolescents with this disorder have great difficulty
following rules and behaving in a socially acceptable way. They are often viewed
by other children, adults and social agencies as "bad" or delinquent, rather than
mentally ill. Many factors may contribute to a child developing conduct disorder,
including brain damage, child abuse or neglect, genetic vulnerability, school failure,
and traumatic life experiences.
Children or adolescents with conduct disorder may exhibit some of the following
behaviors:
Aggression to people and animals
 bullies, threatens or intimidates others
 often initiates physical fights
 has used a weapon that could cause serious physical harm to others (e.g. a
bat, brick, broken bottle, knife or gun)
 is physically cruel to people or animals
 steals from a victim while confronting them (e.g. assault)
 forces someone into sexual activity
Destruction of Property
 deliberately engaged in fire setting with the intention to cause damage
 deliberately destroys other's property
Deceitfulness, lying, or stealing
 has broken into someone else's building, house, or car
 lies to obtain goods, or favors or to avoid obligations
 steals items without confronting a victim (e.g. shoplifting, but without
breaking and entering)
Serious violations of rules
 often stays out at night despite parental objections
 runs away from home
 often truant from school
 Children who exhibit these behaviors should receive a comprehensive
evaluation by an experience mental health professional. Many children with a
conduct disorder may have coexisting conditions such as mood disorders, anxiety,
PTSD, substance abuse, ADHD, learning problems, or thought disorders which
can also be treated. Research shows that youngsters with conduct disorder are
likely to have ongoing problems if they and their families do not receive early and
comprehensive treatment. Without treatment, many youngsters with conduct
disorder are unable to adapt to the demands of adulthood and continue to have
problems with relationships and holding a job. They often break laws or behave in
an antisocial manner.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a brain disorder marked by an
ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with
functioning or development.
Inattention means a person wanders off task, lacks persistence, has difficulty
sustaining focus, and is disorganized; and these problems are not due to defiance
or lack of comprehension.
Hyperactivity means a person seems to move about constantly, including
situations in which it is not appropriate when it is not appropriate, excessively
fidgets, taps, or talks. In adults, it may be extreme restlessness or wearing others
out with their activity.
Impulsivity means a person makes hasty actions that occur in the moment
without first thinking about them and that may have high potential for harm; or a
desire for immediate rewards or inability to delay gratification. An impulsive person
may be socially intrusive and excessively interrupt others or make important
decisions without considering the long-term consequences.
Summary
The over controlled disorders have adverse effect on the child himself. The child
himself. The child with this disorder is characterized as withdrawn, passive,
disinterested in things and in people, in general, not the happy child a parent would
want to have. Relationship with people in his environment is restrained and overly
controlled, hence, the disorder makes the child feel sad, fearful, and worried. In
case where there is excessive fear it may cause considerable discomfort not only
to the children but their families as well.
Activity:

References:
Child and adolescents Development
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenile_delinquency
http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2038&
context=jclc
http://criminal.findlaw.com/juvenile-justice/juvenile-delinquents.html
http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-
Guide/Conduct-Disorder-033.aspx
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-
adhd/index.shtml