Link Between Student's Reading Ability and Behavior Problems

Reading difficulties are found in:

• 85% of youth who get in trouble with the law involving the courts.
• 4 of 5 incarcerated juvenile offenders read 2 or more years below grade level; a majority are functionally illiterate.
• 70% of incarcerated youth and adults in prison.
• 50% of youth with a history of substance abuse.
  

The combination of poor reading and disruptive school behaviors are a harbinger of future aggressive and antisocial behaviors.

When reading difficulties are evident, early intervention is crucial. According to the National Institute for Literacy, when children receive appropriate instruction, virtually all of them can learn to read and write by the 3rd grade.

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