Supporting Parents of Children with Learning Disorders: A Systematic Review of Intervention Strategies

Giulia Carlotta Guerra^1*Maria Teresa Positano^1*Ilenia Passaquindici¹Alessandra Sperati¹Maria Spinelli¹Maria Grazia Logrieco²Francesca Lionetti³Mirco Fasolo¹

• ¹University of Studies G. d'Annunzio Chieti and Pescara, Chieti, Italy
• ²University of Foggia, Foggia, Apulia, Italy
• ³University of Pavia, Pavia, Lombardy, Italy

Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in the automatic processes of reading, writing and/or mathematics. The percentage of children diagnosed with SLD is estimated to be 5-15% of the population internationally, with dyslexia being the most common. These disorders emotionally affect both children and their parents, making it crucial to offer parents emotional and educational support to better understand and assist their child. Hence, though several parenting programs have been developed and adopted, little is still known about which characteristics make some of these interventions more effective than others. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the literature on the effectiveness of psychotherapy and psychoeducational parenting interventions in providing parents with skills and competences to support their children at cognitive, emotional and behavioural levels. The initial search identified 1519 papers, of which 10 met the predefined inclusion criteria. We selected articles from 1950 to 2024, because the literature on SLD at an international level starts from 1950 and the review was conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. From the qualitative synthesis, studies demonstrated the effectiveness of parental support interventions and how parental well-being positively affects children academically, socially and emotionally.