Download In recent years, contrary to the past, there has been an increase in interest in issues relating to Specific Learning Disorder (DSA) in adulthood. This phenomenon can be attributed to at least two important factors: research conducted in the field defines Specific Learning Disorder as characterized by neurobiological and structural factors that determine the individual in a unique way and persist throughout life; the number of children who have received a diagnosis of DSA at a developmental age and decide to continue their studies after compulsory schooling increases year after year and there is a need to provide them with support strategies in school and work.
The characteristics of the Learning Disorder, therefore, although taking on different degrees of expressiveness as the developmental phases progress, involve the person's functioning in a global way and can affect the quality of life even when the subject manages to adopt compensatory strategies.
Data from scientific research have demonstrated the tendency in adulthood for learning disorders to manifest themselves in comorbidity and that the neuropsychological alterations are distributed transversally in the different profiles regardless of the specific situation. Furthermore, in association, there is a high rate of anxious-depressive mood disorders and deficits in social and relational skills.
In the present research, two clinical cases were examined with the aim of following the evolution of DSA over time, from the moment of diagnosis to early adulthood, with particular attention to the cognitive profile and the psychological aspects mediated by metacognition. What emerges from the clinical analysis confirms a permanence of specific difficulties and neuropsychological deficits, especially with regard to the functioning of working memory, information processing speed, inhibitory control and attentional and executive functions. In metacognitive terms, these characteristics are frequently associated with a good awareness of the difficulties associated with the specific learning disorder, not only in school but also in daily life.