Rising Prevalence of Parent-Reported Learning Disabilities among U.S. Children and Adolescents Aged 6-17 years: NSCH, 2016-2022

Abstract The prevalence of learning disabilities (LD) among children is a critical public health issue; however, recent LD prevalence estimates among children and adolescents aged 6–17 years, as reported by the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), remain largely unexplored. Data for this population-based cross-sectional study were obtained from NSCH to estimate the prevalence of LD diagnosis among U.S. children at both national and state levels, and to inspect the 7-year trends in these estimates from 2016 to 2022. Among 187,805 U.S. children, 17,379 had a history of LD diagnosis, with a weighted prevalence of 8.80% (95% CI = 8.52–9.08). Of these, 16,221 were currently diagnosed with LD, yielding a weighted prevalence of 8.20% (95% CI = 7.93–8.48). From 2016 to 2022, the prevalence of ever-diagnosed LD increased from 7.86–9.45%, and that of current-diagnosed LD from 7.32–8.80%, indicating a 20% total increase in both types. The state with the highest prevalence (New Hampshire) had twice that of the state with the lowest prevalence (Utah). This study highlights a critical escalation in LD prevalence among US children and adolescents between 2016 and 2022. Comprehensive screening and support programs must be implemented to enhance early identification and intervention.