A study of neurodevelopmental findings in early adolescent delinquents

Subtle deficits or delays in the development of the central nervous system in young children are associated with problems affecting learning, behavior, and social adjustment. Less is known about the impact of such neurodevelopmental dysfunction in adolescents. This study assesses the possible association between neurodevelopmental delays and juvenile delinquency. An adolescent neurodevelopment examination was devised and administered to 54 delinquents and 51 secondary school students. Six areas were assessed. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of minor neurologic signs (P = 0.37) or in gross motor function (P = 0.02) and temporal sequential organization (P = 0.04). The greatest differences were in visual processing (P = 0.0002) and auditory-language function (P = 0.0001). Eighteen percent of delinquents and 4% of the comparison group were deficient in two or more neurodevelopmental areas. Nine percent of the delinquents and none of the comparison group had three or more dysfunctions. A neurodevelopmental examination may be a useful diagnostic tool for identifying endogenous factors in behavior, learning, and adjustment problems of this age group. Such findings have implications for the formulation of individualized management strategies.