Broadly defined learning and
coordination disorders (LCDs) are common in the population and have
previously been associated with familial social risk factors and male
sex. However, comprehensive nationwide studies of these risk factors in
LCD subgroups are lacking. Our objective was to assess different LCDs in
relation to sex and maternal education, marital status and
socioeconomic status based on occupation.

We conducted a nationwide
register-based study. The following diagnoses were identified from the
Finnish Hospital Discharge Register (FHDR) according to the ICD-10 (n = 28,192):
speech disorders (F80), scholastic disorders (F81), motor and
coordination disorders (F82) and mixed developmental disorder (F83). To
study cumulative incidence and male: female ratios of service use of
LCDs, we used a cohort design among all Finnish children born singleton
1996–2007 (n = 690,654); to
study social risk factors, we used a nested case-control design with
extensive register data on both cases and matched controls (n = 106,616).

The cumulative incidence was
4.7% for any LCD by age 15 and the changes in cumulative incidence over
time were minor. The male: female ratios were 2.2–3.0 across LCD
subgroups. Learning and coordination disorders were more common in
households with lower maternal education, socioeconomic status based on
occupation and among children with single mothers at the time of birth;
the odds ratios (OR) for any LCD were 1.2–1.9 across risk factors. The
odds for LCD diagnosis increased linearly with the number of social risk
factors, except for coordination disorder. The effect size of three
risk factors was highest in the group with mixed or multiple LCDs; OR
3.76 (95% CI 3.31–4.28).

Multiple social risk factors
increase the odds for multiple, more comprehensive learning
difficulties. The findings have implications for service planning, as
early identification and interventions of learning and coordination
disorders might reduce related long-term social adversities.