LDs' Expressions of Anxiety in Terms of Minor Somatic Complaints

Abstract

The prevalence of the minor somatic complaints for learning-disabled children (N = 130) was compared to that of two control groups: normal (N = 559) and EMR children (N = 69). The learning-disabled children demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of complaints, but the extent of resulting absenteeism was lesser than that in regular schools. No significant differences was found in the prevalence of headaches and stomach-aches. Fatigue was more frequent for the learning-disabled group. Explanations of the phenomena in terms of the coping strategies of the learning-disabled children and an ecological model were suggested.