Socio-Emotional Profiles of Children With and Without Learning Disorders

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to characterize the relationships between behavioral problems, academic achievement and loneliness of students in the upper and lower thirds of social skills classification.

Methods: Participants were 733 students, boys and girls, aged 9-14, 642 without learning disorders (LD) and 91 with LD. Their homeroom teacher rated their social skills. Accordingly, upper and lower thirds of social skills scores were determined.

Results: Results showed significant differences in behavior problems between the low and the high social skills groups. Boys displayed higher rates of behavior problems. Students with LD achieved lower scores than students without LD in academic achievements and higher scores in loneliness. The final model of the binary stepwise logistic regression showed that loneliness, behavioral problems and academic achievements were associated with social skills, explaining 60% of the pseudo variance (Cox & Snell R2 = 0.60).

Discussion and Conclusion: The findings help to target individual variables that promote or hinder school adjustment and effectively incorporate them into prevention and intervention programs for students with and without LD who display social and behavioral difficulties.