Responding to Neurodivergence in the Youth Justic

19 Appendix 1 This table, taken from an upcoming book (Hughes & Kent, In Press), presents peer-reviewed evidence on the prevalence of neurodisabilities in children in detention and in the general population – an update and extension of the tables presented in Borschmann et al. (2020), Hughes et al. (2020), and Hughes et al. (2012). * Note that the studies on brain injury that we report here examined only traumatic brain injury; a sub-type of acquired brain injury. Comprehensive data on the prevalence of all types of acquired brain injury in youth justice populations isn’t available to our knowledge. The comparative general population estimate therefore relates to traumatic brain injury also, to allow for a more valid comparison. ** Note that this study was of young adults aged 18-25, due to lack of data relating to children Typical diagnostic symptoms Reported prevalence in children in custodial justice settings Reported prevalence in children in the general population Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Persistence in multiple symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity 30.1% 1 7.2% 2 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts 3-18% 3 0.3 – 1.9% 4 Speech, Language, and Communication Needs Problems with speech, language, or hearing that significantly affect academic achievement or day-to-day social interactions; includes expressive and receptive language, speech sound disorder, and stuttering 60-64% 5 1-9% 6 Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) Reduced height, weight, or head circumference; characteristic facial features; deficits in executive functioning, memory, cognition, intelligence, attention, or motor skills; resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure due to maternal consumption during pregnancy 10.9 - 21% 7 0.7% 8 Learning disability Deficits in cognitive capacity (measured by an IQ score of <70); occasionally with adaptive functioning (significant difficulties with everyday tasks) 10-32% 9 1% 10 Acquired brain injury Injury to the brain that is not congenital (i.e. it is acquired after birth). This could be due to infection, disease, oxygen deprivation (e.g. through strangulation or stroke), or a traumatic injury. *50-87.1% 11 *20.2% 12 Epilepsy A condition arising from abnormal electrical signals produced by neurons, which causes recurring unprovoked seizures. 5.9% 13 0.3-0.6% 14 Developmental co- ordination disorder A condition affecting physical co-ordination (also known as dyspraxia). 30.3% 15 1.8-5% 16 Dyslexia A specific learning difficulty which primarily affects accurate and/or fluent word recognition and spelling. 50% 17 7.1% 18 Tourette’s syndrome A condition causing the individual to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements (tics). **6% 19 0.3-0.9% 20