Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 30:16:1536894.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536894. eCollection 2025.

Supporting parents of children with learning disorders: a systematic review of intervention strategies

Giulia Carlotta Guerra #  1 , Maria Teresa Positano #  1 , Alessandra Sperati  1 , Ilenia Passaquindici  1 , Maria Grazia Logrieco  2 , Francesca Lionetti  3 , Maria Spinelli  4 , Mirco Fasolo  4
Affiliations

Supporting parents of children with learning disorders: a systematic review of intervention strategies

Giulia Carlotta Guerra et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting 5-15% of children worldwide, typically involving difficulties in reading, writing, and/or mathematics. Dyslexia is the most common subtype. These disorders impact both children and their parents, highlighting the need for emotional and educational support to help families manage SLD-related challenges. Although various parenting programmes exist, little is known about which features make some interventions more effective than others.

Methods: This systematic review assessed the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic and psychoeducational parenting interventions. A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases for studies published between 1950 and 2024, following PRISMA guidelines. From 1,519 records, 10 studies met the predefined inclusion criteria.

Results: The included studies showed that parental support interventions improved parents' emotional well-being and coping strategies. These improvements were linked to better academic, behavioural, and social outcomes in children. Interventions differed in format and delivery, but all focused on strengthening parental skills and knowledge.

Discussion: Parenting interventions that combine emotional and educational support appear beneficial for both parents and children. They foster environments that support children's development. Further research is needed to identify the most effective components and delivery methods across diverse populations.

Keywords: children; intervention; learning disability; parent education; parent training; support group.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for new systematic reviews which included searches of databases, registers, and other sources.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abd Rauf A. A., Akmar Ismail M., Balakrishnan V., Cheong L. S., Admodisastro N. I., Haruna K. (2020). Analysis of support for parents in raising children with dyslexia. J. Fam. Issues 42, 276–292. doi: 10.1177/0192513X20948925 - DOI
    1. American Psychiatric Association, D (2013). A.P. Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. Washington, DC: American psychiatric association.
    1. Aro T., Eklund K., Eloranta A. K. (2019). Associations between childhood learning disabilities and adult-age mental health problems, lack of education, and unemployment. J. Learn. Disabil. 52, 71–83. doi: 10.1177/0022219418775118, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bonifacci P., Montuschi M., Lami L., Snowling M. J. (2014). Parents of children with dyslexia: cognitive, emotional and behavioural profile. Dyslexia 20, 175–190. doi: 10.1002/dys.1469, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brock A., Shute R. (2013). Group coping skills program for parents of children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Australian J. Learn. Difficulties 6, 15–25. doi: 10.1080/19404150109546683, PMID: - DOI

Publication types