Learning Disorders In Girls

Learning disorders are among the most common of all childhood neurodevelopmental disorders with an estimated prevalence of between 3% and 10 percent of the school-aged population (American Psychiatric Association 2000). Estimates of prevalence vary across studies, however, with rates as high as 20% reported by some (e.g., Smith, 1998). In addition to their relative frequency, these disorders are of clinical and research importance because of their potentially negative impact on numerous other domains of functioning including social, emotional, and vocational outcomes (for a review see Willcutt & Pennington, 2000). As in many areas of developmental psychopathology, much of what is known about learning disorders is based on samples made up primarily of affected boys. This disproportionate overrepresentation of boys in many research samples has important consequences for our understanding of the nature of learning disorders, associated conditions, and effective interventions for girls. This chapter focuses on girls with LD and reviews the reasons why girls are typically underrepresented in most LD samples. The potential implications of this phenomenon as well as research focusing on girls with learning disorders are also reviewed.