Auditory Working Memory in Adolescents with Specific Learning Disorders

Abstract

Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), including dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, are associated with deficits in executive functions such as auditory working memory (AWM). This study investigated AWM performance and metacognitive monitoring in adolescents diagnosed with SLD using an auditory delayed-match-to-sample task. Thirty-six participants (18 with SLD and 18 neurotypical controls) were assessed on accuracy, reaction time, and confidence ratings. Adolescents with SLD exhibited reduced sensitivity to auditory intensity differences, slower reaction times, and more conservative decision-making strategies. Drift diffusion modeling revealed lower evidence accumulation rates and wider decision boundaries in the SLD group. Moreover, confidence ratings were less influenced by stimulus differences, particularly among participants with dyslexia. These findings highlight impairments in auditory processing, decision-making, and metacognitive self-monitoring in adolescents with SLD. The results underscore the importance of interventions that address not only linguistic skills but also auditory decision-making and metacognitive strategies to support learning outcomes.