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Reading Disabilities and Aggression

A Critical Review

Anne Cornwall received a PhD in clinical psychology at McGill University in 1987. She is currently a child psychologist at the I.W.K. Children's Hospital, specializing in the assessment and treatment of children with learning disabilities. Address: Anne Cornwall, Department of Psychology, I.W.K. Children's Hospital, 5850 University Ave., PO Box 3070, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3J 3G9.

Harry N. Bawden

Harry N. Bawden received a PhD in psychology at Carleton University in 1985. He is currently a pediatric neuropsychologist and research scientist at the I.W.K. Children's Hospital. His areas of interest include childhood psychopathology and neuropsychological sequelae of medical disorders.

Several authors have suggested that there is a strong association between specific learning disabilities and aggression, antisocial behavior, and juvenile delinquency. Claims that learning disabilities cause aggressive behavior and delinquency are increasingly common in the popular press, and a variety of theories concerning this purported causal relationship have been proposed. This research is flawed by a lack of specificity in the definition of learning disabilities, with studies often examining heterogeneous groups of children with learning problems. The present review examines the relationship between specific reading disabilities (the most frequently diagnosed learning disability) and aggressive behavior. The data suggest that there is not enough evidence to conclude that reading disability causes aggressive or delinquent behavior, although limited evidence does suggest that reading disability may worsen preexisting aggressive behavior.

Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 25, No. 5, 281-288 (1992)
DOI: 10.1177/002221949202500503


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