A review article published in Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences found that children and adolescents with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) experience heightened stress compared to their typically developing peers due to societal pressures and stigma. This includes their struggles to meet conventional academic standards, facing negative stereotypes, and society’s lack of understanding of their conditions.
These challenges may lead to higher rates of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Neurobiological findings also indicate that they may be more likely to develop stress-related mental health issues because of changes in their body's stress-response system.
Knowing how SLDs increase stress allows parents, caregivers, and teachers to create better support systems. They can provide early help so that these children may succeed in school and life.
Understanding the Research
The authors’ goal for this paper is to explore how stress impacts kids with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) and what can help build their resilience and emotional well-being (EWB). It goes beyond just focusing on school performance or mental health concerns.
It encourages a shift from seeing SLDs as problems to fix (the “psychopathology paradigm”) to viewing them as unique strengths (the “neurodiversity paradigm”) by focusing on the role of society.
The paper discusses three areas:
-
The prevalence of stress in children and teens with SLDs. They often deal with stigma, isolation, and social pressures. Being placed in special education classes, separated from peers, and labeled as “disabled” can make them feel inadequate. Negative stereotypes and bullying add to their stress, which affects both their schoolwork and mental health.
-
The biological mechanisms that could explain their increased stress levels. These include changes in their hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which manages the body’s stress response. Moreover, young people with SLDs have higher levels of cortisol and low melatonin levels (which could indicate disrupted sleep patterns).
-
Resilience-promoting factors. Internal and external factors can act as a “protective buffer” for children from the negative impacts of stress. Internal factors include self-esteem, emotional regulation, grit, and self-concept. On the other hand, external factors include caring home environments, strong peer and teacher relationships, and community support.
Practical Strategies for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers
There are many strategies for helping children and adolescents with SLDs that will support their self-esteem, help them build resilience, and manage their stress. These include:
-
Teaching them coping skills. Coping skills serve as tools for handling everyday problems in their homes, schools, and social environments. Mindfulness practices like deep breathing and guided meditation help with emotional regulation, while time-management techniques, like using planners or breaking tasks into smaller steps, can make their schoolwork more manageable.
-
Practicing self-care each day. Young people who take care of themselves can recharge and maintain balance both physically and mentally. Have conversations or lessons about the importance of exercise, self-compassion, seeking support from a trusted family member or friend, and getting enough sleep at night. Discover our Self-Care Worksheets Collection here.
-
Involve professionals. Parents may involve various professionals trained to meet their child’s learning, emotional, and social needs. These include special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, school counselors, and therapists.
The authors also wrote, “Changing our views of SLDs allows us to recognize each child’s unique strengths, which is key to improving mental health, emotional well-being, and reducing stigma.”
For more resources to support young people with SLDs, we recommend our Self-Esteem Worksheets, Social Skills Worksheets, and Coping Skills Worksheets.
