Trouble anxieux chez des enfants et adolescents dyslexiques : une double peine ? Étude de 114 enfants vus en centre de diagnostic

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that children with learning disabilities also have psychological symptoms such as anxiety. It is the most common psychological disorder and usually appears in childhood or adolescence. We focus on children with reading disabilities. As anxiety symptoms in dyslexic children, low self-esteem, loss of interest, fear of rejection, hostility, behavioural or concentration problems are described, these children report more somatic complaints than normal readers. This anxiety can be either primary or secondary to reading difficulties, with the presence of one triggering or aggravating the other. With regard to the prevalences found in the literature, 9.9% to 25% of children with reading impairment have an anxiety disorder associated with it. This can have a significant impact on academic achievement but also on professional integration. Few studies have analyzed the presence of anxiety in children with a specific reading disorder according to age or grade level. That is why we analyzed data of anxious children among patients with developmental dyslexia, and investigated a possible effect of age, school level (primary or secondary school) or gender. Finally, we also paid attention to the proportion of anxious children for whom psychological counselling was recommended. Another goal of this study was to support the need for access to diagnosis, and the implementation of accompanying measures. MethodsThe sample consists of 114 patients admitted in a French referral center of learning disabilities and for whom a diagnosis of dyslexia had been established. A retrospective analysis of these children's files was carried out in order to identify the signs of anxiety. Initially, this study was based on the anamnesis carried out with the parents or guardians and then the child's behaviour during the various assessments carried out at the center was analyzed. ResultsAmong our dyslexic patients, 69% also had anxiety. There was no age difference between anxious and non-anxious patients, nor was there a difference according to school level (primary or secondary school). There was a gender effect in dyslexic and anxious children with less anxiety in dyslexic boys than in dyslexic girls. Psychological counselling was advised for 65% of patients. ConclusionA significant proportion of children with dyslexia have co-morbid anxiety, regardless of gender, age or class. This is why it is necessary to improve access to early diagnosis, knowledge and consideration of these disorders, as well as the implementation of necessary aids (school adjustments, therapeutic support).