A learning disability is a lifelong difficulty that affects the way an individual with average to above average intelligence receives, processes or expresses information. These learning disabilities may be manifested in such areas as reading and writing, attention span, organization skills, following directions, computation or coordination. The most common disabilities are dyslexia and attention deficit disorder (ADD). Early diagnosis and appropriate educational programs can help people achieve their full potential in school and in life. For more information and resources visit   • LDOnline   • The International Dyslexia Association (IDA)   • National Center for Learning Disabilities

The men in HOW DO YOU SPELL MURDER? all share a common history: difficulty in school leading to dropping out of school and criminal behavior leading to incarceration. So often their school histories include being held back a grade one or two years. Others might be passed along to the next grade without being properly prepared. Eventually low self-esteem develops followed by disruptive classroom behavior which leads to dismissal from school. Histories like these are like clues to a scene of a crime: usually an undiagnosed learning disability.

An estimated 5% of the children and adults in our society have learning disabilities. That number jumps to four times greater for the prison population and a conservative estimate of 40% of youth in detention facilities have some form of learning disability. This is often identified as "the LD-JD link."

Many educators believe the problem can be traced back to high school or even elementary school. Reid Lyon of the National Institute of Health (NIH) has stated:

"The correlation is very substantial between reading disability and other disabilities and entering into prison for a variety of crimes . . . Kids who have trouble learning to read are 80% more likely to drop out of school . . . Folks who drop out of school are much more likely to commit violence or criminal activity."

Illiteracy and poor academic performance are not direct causes of criminal behavior. However, learning disabled youngsters have more difficulty understanding the legal process and often make confusing statements due to their illiteracy. Once juveniles are incarcerated, they rarely return to school. Experts acknowledge that a common predictor of adult criminal behavior is a personal history of juvenile offenses.

New research now shows that prison literacy programs, including special education for persons with learning disabilities, are more effective at lowering recidivism* rates than either boot camps or shock incarceration: the rate for juvenile offenders is between 60% and 84%, but for those youngsters involved in prison literacy programs the recidivism rate drops to 20%. There is an obvious need for educational programs for young offenders to stop the flow of young men and women into criminal behavior and into our overpopulated prisons.

The inmate managers of the L.I.F.E.. Program recognized these high numbers of inmates with learning disabilities and sought the help of educators who specialize in teaching to this group. The educators from ABC Literacy Resources have developed specific skills in helping adults with learning disabilities. They conduct training sessions for the inmate tutors to familiarize them with a research based multi-sensory language program, such as Orton Gillingham, to aid their students in learning to read and write. Due to the disproportionate numbers of learning disabilities in the prison population, this added teacher training is essential to help LD inmates finally conquer their reading challenges.

Educators have long campaigned for early intervention for learning disabilities in the primary grades. The longer the disability is left undiagnosed, greater damage will be done to literacy skills which will impact on self-esteem and eventually disruptive behavior. The men in HOW DO YOU SPELL MURDER? have revealed this pattern in their personal school histories. Fortunately, the combined good work of the L.I.F.E. tutors and the community volunteers who support them demonstrate that it is never too late to learn to read.

* recidivism: a falling back or relapse into prior criminal habits, especially after conviction and punishment.