Recognition, Expression, and Understanding Facial Expressions of Emotion in Adolescents With Nonverbal and General Learning Disabilities

Children with nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD) have been found to be worse at recognizing facial expressions than children with verbal learning disabilities (LD) and without LD. However, little research has been done with adolescents. In addition, expressing and understanding facial expressions is yet to be studied among adolescents with LD subtypes. This study examined abilities of adolescents with NVLD, with general learning disabilities (GLD), and without LD to recognize, express, and understand facial expressions of emotion. Adolescents were grouped into those with NVLD, with GLD, and without LD using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (short form) and Wide Range Achievement Test-Third Edition. The adolescents completed neuropsychological, recognition, expression, and understanding measures. It is intriguing that the GLD group was significantly less accurate at recognizing and understanding facial expressions compared with the NVLD and NLD groups, who did not differ. Implications are explored with regard to the need to consider possible deficits in recognition and understanding of emotion in adolescents with LD in schools.