A STUDY OF THE TENDENCY TOWARDS DELINQUENCY OF BACKWARD CHILDREN
Authors: R. G. Gordon, R. E. Thomas, E. G. Greenall
Journal: BMJ (1930)

dlis iis1siois oii jiu-enile.delinqueney it is iftem "Astlited thlat miienitzal defect aild lnletital bhackw ardneess are nsioc intel closely ii-iti nmiscoid net in the (clild(.So fIam as cerfitfialle invmital (lefec-t is (ovliee1ledl Piofe(s oln B 3i-iit ha,s lidl dlowii tllat iiot mllore thlaii 7 per cent. of juvenile defillneits are ienitallv defective w'ithli thle meaningi time Act.Althoulgh there liai-e been some autlirities 'i-iho ha.ve tlhe peireentage as Irigh-as 20, mast 11ow fimid tlOieiselves piretty well inl lagseelnlellt witi Professorl Ihim3z t's figires, blitt it is frequientlv stnmted that if ineiital defect niot closely a-ssociated with dlehiiiqteinc-, tme miioron1 or1 aekwar'd chlilsl oftell shows aso(ciaLI (condlict.Thlis appears be oiie thlose genier-alizat ions -which arc, ntot slupporte(d by carefilly i-or1ked out statisties, ai n1( it seems dhcsiralile bring forwvard somc evitdence as to lhethlic thlis is thle ease or not.If suich is tohe adlduued, we ii-st iiot estimate hiow iwianly delinquents are backward, hut tint to determinie lhow a-backwLia ml cll lre nci become deli iquientt.Anl oppor- tuliti-too (10 sonetliiiig towa-trdds this elidi wa' afforoded by,'b the fact that durinog the last ninie yeari-s several easeslhave been refersed firoum tIre schools of the cit) Batlh Dr.Thomla,s, thle dlepultyschaool lel mdcloffier, a,s suplposedly- defective.Onie hunda red of these children who were not fol.n1d to be certifiableunl(ler the Act, and w'rene tlherefore ot h)lace(lil ina specal schlool, havel)eeiicareilus-lls' 3iicsti- gated anid followed upj).The appenided figUres gin-e sumll- miiaiy of tme result of thiis investigatioio NNITERTCAL SUTAMMARY OF' -iNDINOS.Cliildreni reported by school iasteris as id mistresses as olyobaly suhunorma=l-100 (boys 56, girls 44). Bo0ys.At tIme date ofthl e imiquirylv thll e ages of thje 56 boys ranged fromn 22 to 8. Of tlrese, I shiowed ani l .Q. (initelligenic qumotiemit) of 60-70 per cent.; 18 air J .Q. of 70-80 per ceilt.; air I.Q.80890 per ceirt.; 9 air LlQ. of 90-100 per ceiit.; whiile shiowed al I.Q. of 116 per certt.Cm,e?rct bi School.Fort y boy,s showed good comnduct in schiool; 16 were, com-nplained of in sonie way omr amnot icr; 10 were naotedt as asocial withi othler chifldren at, schiool-tlrat is, were either -leadem's in nmiischief, Witit ottier children, or too easily led; 15 Wivere rioted As umisatis- factory in their conduct in th'eIroie.Of l lie t. oublesonme cases, 5 were noted as causing difficuilty both at lIonic and in the schools; 11 were trooublesorime in school, htit, good at hiome; and 10 were t roublesomne at.bone, scl-ool.Of tIre 10 who o were asocial with otlier chrildren, sshowed ecrielation, withi complaints fiotmo botlh tIe lnoine aird the school; 3 witli complaints from hre lIomire; 2 withi complaiiits from toime school ; and 2 wvitliort complanirts' fromi either.D)urring their school per-iod, tlrerefor'e, 28 showed somlsc abinmomrnmalityv in comidumet-that is, r 0 per cent.Of thresse were not4iced to, have seine defect of phyvsical health that is, cent.-hit, of the, well-bohuaved boys, 11 were noted to have defect pbysikcal healtir tliat is, 39 per centt.. Ia 18 cases there was a broken parental relationshiip.B3y thiis is meamit tahat tlier tIe father or motnher was dead or separated.Of these, 13 casel's sowed' comdct disontdeoder.Of tIe 5 eases wino showed no condudct disorder, 1 hiad neithrer par<ent amid was in a homone; in 1 case the father hiad deserted; and a cass tire fathier was dead.Of the eases with comiduct disorder, lhad lost botlh pautirts, 5lhad lost their fatliem', }a~d 4 had lost their inriothuer.TIrF TIIETITfhT I MEDI:A)rJOURNAL - Fawily History.Withl regard to the famiiily history: in 24 cases nervous miental imanifestat ions weire nioted.Of tlhese, lhad solmie of coidudlct disoi der, and 16 wer e of good coniduict.tilece was pr onounced physical ill health' in the thesc, 1 showed coniduict disorder and(l 2 were of good conduct.hIn one or, more mnemlibers of thc famiiily wcrie certified mneuntally deficient.Of tlhesc, 3 slhowe(d conidlect (.lisordes anld werCe good coli(uct.The lhome conditions werc reported as badl ini cases.these,