Perception of emotions in anxious and learning disabled children

This study examined differences in the ability to perceive others' emotions in anxious and learning disabled children, as these differences may contribute to these children's unique socio-emotional difficulties and therapeutic needs. Forty-six children ages 8 to 12 with either anxiety disorders (ANX), language-based learning disabilities (LD), both conditions, or neither condition (clinical controls) were compared on the DANVA, a standardized measure of auditory and visual perception of emotion. Group results were then compared to normative data. Using multivariate analyses, significant group differences were found on the auditory portion of the DANVA but not on the visual portion. LD and comorbid children scored lower on several auditory stimuli, especially when presented at low emotional intensity, while ANX and comorbid children showed high accuracy for auditory sadness. Comorbid children also had lower auditory DANVA scores than the normative sample. No interactive effects between ANX and LD were found. ANX and LD each appear to have distinct effects on the auditory perception of others' emotions. Children with both conditions show both effects and differ from normal children in this domain. Replication using larger samples is required.