Youth with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) experience not only academic and cognitive difficulties, but also socio-emotional challenges. Whether socio-emotional factors contribute to SLD identification remains unclear. No studies have jointly examined cognitive and socio-emotional variables using supervised machine learning. This study included youth aged 8–16 with SLD (N = 70) versus non-diagnosed peers (N = 130), matched for age and sex, who completed a working memory task and questionnaires assessing test anxiety, social anxiety, cognitive emotion regulation, and loneliness. Support Vector Machine showed high specificity (88.5%) but low sensitivity (44.3%). Nonetheless, overall performance exceeded chance (Balanced Accuracy = 66.4%; AUC = 0.74), indicating reliable multivariate discrimination. Higher test and social anxiety, peer- and parent-related loneliness, and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies characterized SLD, whereas stronger working memory, adaptive regulation, and affinity for aloneness were associated with non-diagnosed youth. Findings underscore the value of integrating cognitive and socio-emotional factors in SLD assessment. Educational relevance and implications statement: Our study found that high levels of test anxiety - particularly intrusive thoughts - along with feelings of loneliness, social anxiety, and the use of specific emotion regulation strategies (e.g., acceptance, catastrophizing) are associated with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD). These findings suggest that socio-emotional and cognitive factors together play an important role in identifying and supporting students with SLD. On a practical level, the results highlight the need for educators to address both learning challenges and emotional well-being through integrated support programs. Helping students manage anxiety, build adaptive coping strategies and positive relationships may improve both their academic performance and their overall school experience.
Understanding Specific Learning Disorders in youth: A machine learning approach to socio-emotional and cognitive aspects
Lievore, Rachele;Mammarella, Irene C.
2026
Abstract
Youth with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) experience not only academic and cognitive difficulties, but also socio-emotional challenges. Whether socio-emotional factors contribute to SLD identification remains unclear. No studies have jointly examined cognitive and socio-emotional variables using supervised machine learning. This study included youth aged 8–16 with SLD (N = 70) versus non-diagnosed peers (N = 130), matched for age and sex, who completed a working memory task and questionnaires assessing test anxiety, social anxiety, cognitive emotion regulation, and loneliness. Support Vector Machine showed high specificity (88.5%) but low sensitivity (44.3%). Nonetheless, overall performance exceeded chance (Balanced Accuracy = 66.4%; AUC = 0.74), indicating reliable multivariate discrimination. Higher test and social anxiety, peer- and parent-related loneliness, and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies characterized SLD, whereas stronger working memory, adaptive regulation, and affinity for aloneness were associated with non-diagnosed youth. Findings underscore the value of integrating cognitive and socio-emotional factors in SLD assessment. Educational relevance and implications statement: Our study found that high levels of test anxiety - particularly intrusive thoughts - along with feelings of loneliness, social anxiety, and the use of specific emotion regulation strategies (e.g., acceptance, catastrophizing) are associated with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD). These findings suggest that socio-emotional and cognitive factors together play an important role in identifying and supporting students with SLD. On a practical level, the results highlight the need for educators to address both learning challenges and emotional well-being through integrated support programs. Helping students manage anxiety, build adaptive coping strategies and positive relationships may improve both their academic performance and their overall school experience.
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