Download The present paper aims to analyze the role of genetic components in the onset of Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), which identify a heterogeneous category of difficulties emerging during developmental age and affecting basic learning in reading, writing, and arithmetic. They are defined as "specific" because they significantly and circumscribedly affect a particular skill domain, preserving general intellectual functioning. Furthermore, they represent the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, and the scientific literature agrees that their origin lies in the interaction between genetic and environmental factors.
To demonstrate how, in the case of SLD, there is a high risk of developing a learning disability within families with a positive family history, the scientific literature was analyzed, with particular attention to studies on twinning, which allow for a separate investigation of the contribution of genetic and environmental factors on specific traits of interest.
Specifically, the clinical case of two identical twin brothers, F. and G., is presented. They underwent neuropsychological evaluation of their general abilities and learning profile, with a positive family history of DSA. The evaluation led, for both, to the diagnosis of Specific Learning Disorder.
It is therefore confirmed that the presence of other family members with DSA, especially in the case of a twin sibling, significantly increases the likelihood of developing this disorder.