Estimating the influence of learning disabilities on educational attainment: a sibling comparison analysis with a gender perspective

This study investigated the longitudinal relationship between learning disabilities (LD) in adolescence and educational attainment, as well as the underlying mechanisms behind this relationship. Using a sibling sample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 1,710), this study employed sibling fixed effects models to account for unobserved family-level characteristics such as genes and early childhood family and social context. Sobel mediation analyses were performed on a gender-stratified sample to investigate the following mechanisms: educational aspirations and expectations, educational effort, and school-based relationships. Sibling fixed effects estimates revealed that LD in adolescence was negatively associated with years of schooling completed in adulthood (b = −0.494, P < 0.01). Gender-stratified models showed that only the association for girls was statistically significant (b = −0.689, P < 0.05). Among girls, this association was partially explained by a combination of educational aspirations and expectations, educational effort, and school-based relationships, with educational aspirations and expectations being the most salient mechanism. These findings highlight that LD is not only an individual cognitive designation but also a socially mediated experience with long-term educational consequences, especially for girls. Policymakers and practitioners may consider developing and implementing interventions that address both educational and social challenges faced by girls with LD.