Abstract

The current study aims to estimate the prevalence of specific learning disorder (SLD), within a large sample obtained from a screened population, in Italian children aged 7.5-9.5 years and to explore, retrospectively, how familial risk for SLD, the presence/absence at preschool age of language delay (LD) and/or developmental language disorder (DLD) may be associated with the probability of a diagnosis of SLD in school-age children. Five hundred and twenty-one families participated in a language delay screening program when their children were 27-30 months old. Subsequently parents completed a telephone interview on their child’s language development at preschool-age and learning abilities at school-age, when their child was between 7.5 and 9.5 years old. The data showed a prevalence of SLD of 7.1%. The diagnosis of DLD, but not the presence of LD or familial risk for DLD/SLD increased the likelihood to receive a diagnosis of SLD by 2.79 times. The likelihood to receive a diagnosis of SLD at school age was 5.41 times higher in children with previous LD and DLD, compared with children without LD and without DLD. These findings can help guide clinicians in their understanding of the developmental trajectories of SLD