THE CASE OF VINNIE

Vinnie was the second of lour children. His mother was a quiet, hardworking woman; his hither, regularly unemployed and seldom at home, drank alcohol nearly every evening. When he drank, Vinnie's father would become physically violent and verbally abusive toward the family. Since birth, and unlike his other siblings, Vinnie was a difficult child. Temper tantrums were frequent for Vinnie until age 2. Vinnie disliked school, his teachers, his counselor, and had few friends. Vinnie repeated the third grade due to numerous truancies and low grades. In addition, Vinnie was expelled from school on 2 Occasions for fighting. Vinnie's mother would regularly attend scheduled school meetings; however, Vinnie's father would not. According to Vinnie's mother, "Vinnie is just an energetic kid; he will eventually grow out of it. Regardless, school doesn't teach kids about the 'real world'; Vinnie's father knows what is best." Vinnie started stealing, first from his parents at the age of 8, and then shoplifting from local stores at age 9. By the age of 12, Vinnie was drinking alcohol; ;and by age 13, Vinnie was detained in a juvenile center for fighting.

Discuss the following questions in a 1-2 page essay. Papers will be graded based on content and grammatical factors.

1. Flow does Vinnie's case illustrate one or more of the theories we have discussed?

2. What contributing factors may have influenced Vinnie's behavior?

3. What interventions may be appropriate for Vinnie and his parents?