Emotional-behavioral profile in children and adolescent with dyslexia

Abstract

Dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by slow and inaccurate reading, bad reading fluency and decoding and orthographic deficits. It could be accompanied by emotional and behavioral problems as a consequence of repeated academic failure. This paper examines emotional and behavioral features of children and adolescents with dyslexia, compared to students without learning disabilities. Thirty-five students (aged 8 to 18) were tested with TMA, CBCL and MASC, for studying their emotional-behavioral profile. Twenty- five participants with dyslexia and ten participants matched in age and academic level, but without any learning problems, were tested. Participants with dyslexia showed low self-esteem level, not only in the academic area, but all the other tested. Moreover, social anxiety and behavioral problems were found in a higher extent in dyslexia sample. These findings highlight the need for studying behavioral and emotional variables in population with dyslexia, aiming for improving their school performance and overall wellness. This study is a stepping stone in developing an intervention program which can intervene both academic and literacy problems in dyslexia, at the same time of helping overcoming these negative emotional and behavioral consequences.