Do Children With Comorbid Reading and Mathematics Difficulties Experience More Internalizing Problems?

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Comorbid reading (RD) and mathematics difficulties (MD) are common in children.
• Internalizing problems like anxiety and depression are frequently observed in children with learning disabilities.
• The role of attention deficits in the relationship between learning difficulties and internalizing problems requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate internalizing problems in children with comorbid RD and MD.
• To determine if attention deficits mediate the link between comorbid RDMD and internalizing symptoms.
• To compare internalizing symptoms across children with RD, MD, comorbid RDMD, and typically developing controls.

Main Methods:

• Participants included children with RD, MD, comorbid RDMD, and age-matched controls.
• Assessments covered reading, mathematics, general cognitive ability, and attention.
• Teacher ratings were used to measure anxiety, depression, somatic complaints, and social withdrawal.

Main Results:

• Children with comorbid RDMD reported higher anxiety and depression than chronological-age controls.
• These significant differences in internalizing problems disappeared after controlling for attention deficits.
• No significant differences in somatic complaints or social withdrawal were found between groups.

Conclusions:

• Comorbid reading and mathematics difficulties may increase the risk for anxiety and depression in children.
• Attention difficulties appear to play a significant role in the manifestation of these internalizing problems.
• Targeting attention deficits may be crucial for addressing emotional and behavioral challenges in children with comorbid learning disabilities.