Investigation of the relationship between early symptoms of learning disabilities and executive functioning skills of preschool children in Western Thrace

This study aims to examine the relationship between early indicators of learning disability risk and executive function skills among preschool children living in Western Thrace. A quantitative research design employing the correlational model was used. The study was conducted in 2025 with preschool children aged five and under residing in Komotini, Western Thrace, Greece. Participants were identified through the snowball sampling method, and data were collected via chain referrals through families. The Early Signs of Learning Disabilities Screening Scale and the Childhood Executive Functions Inventory were utilized as data collection tools. Ethical approval was obtained before data collection, and informed consent forms were distributed to volunteer parents. All instruments were administered to families and completed by parents with sufficient proficiency in Turkish. The data were analyzed using SPSS. Normality of distribution was tested through skewness and kurtosis values, which confirmed parametric distribution. Pearson's correlation coefficient and simple linear regression analysis were employed to examine relationships, while Independent Samples t-tests and One-Way ANOVA were applied to identify differences across variables such as gender, age, and socioeconomic status. Effect sizes for significant differences were calculated using Cohen's d and eta-squared (η²). The study determined the proportion of preschool children at risk of learning disabilities and examined how this risk was related to the sub-dimensions of executive functions, namely working memory and inhibition. The findings revealed that approximately 4% of children were at risk, 5% were at high risk, and between 19–36% were at moderate risk. A strong and significant relationship was identified between learning disability risk and executive functions, with working memory and inhibition emerging as significant predictors of early learning difficulties. It was further found that about one-third of the variance in learning disability risk could be explained by executive function problems. In terms of gender, boys demonstrated a higher risk in cognitive skills compared to girls, although no significant gender difference was found in overall risk levels. Age-related findings indicated that five-year-old children were at greater risk in language, communication, psychomotor, and socio-emotional domains compared to six-year-olds. Overall, the results highlight that supporting executive function skills during the preschool period plays a crucial role in reducing learning disability risk. The study underscores the importance of early diagnosis and intervention programs and recommends awareness-raising efforts for teachers and parents.