LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE AND TRAINING OF JUVENILE PRISON AUTHORITIES ON LEARNING DISABILITIES: A KARACHI BASED STUDY

Abstract

Objectives: The present research aimed to explore the Karachi juvenile prison authority’s previous training on learning disability in juveniles and understand their opinion about the level of training regarding such needs.

Place and Duration:  Karachi, Jail.

 Sample and Method: The juvenile prison authority’s training on learning disability was analysed on three levels - academic skills, cognitive skills, and social-emotional behavioral skills. A sample of 40 juvenile authorities (age 18 and above) was taken from the Women and Children Jail of Karachi, Pakistan. A quantitative survey design using an exploratory study was employed in the present research. The data was collected by using the Urdu translated version of Survey of Professional Developmental Needs for Learning Disabilities.

Results and Conclusion: The results showed that the juvenile prison’s authority had no previous training of learning disability in juveniles (p=0.00), yet they had a positive opinion about their level of training on two levels of cognitive, and social-emotional (p=0.00) except the academic level (p=0.08).