Emotional and cognitive aspects in adolescence-onset school difficulties

Learning disorders in adolescence can become a significant risk factor for psychopathology. The paper investigates emotional and cognitive patterns in adolescents with learning disorders. The first part of the study describes the impact of child-onset learning disorders on adolescence passage. In the second part four clinical conditions that can determine adolescence-onset learning disorders are outlined. These are adolescent turmoil, intellectual inhibition, delay in reasoning development and metacognitive dysfunctioning. Cognitive, emotional and behavioral features of these conditions are discussed, in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic implications.