NEUROCOGNITIVE PREDICTORS OF SOCIAL ADAPTATION IN CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This article presents a literature review examining the neurocognitive predictors of social adaptation in children with special educational needs (SEN) attending inclusive educational settings. Publications from 2000 to 2024 were systematically retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases. The review analyses theoretical frameworks linking neurocognitive functioning to social adaptation outcomes, empirical evidence on the role of theory of mind, emotion recognition, executive functions, and working memory as predictors of social competence in children with SEN, and the moderating influence of diagnostic category, educational environment, and cultural context. The analysis reveals that theory of mind and emotion recognition emerge as the strongest and most consistent neurocognitive predictors of social adaptation across diagnostic groups including autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and developmental delay. Working memory and inhibitory control contribute primarily through indirect pathways. Evidence on cross-cultural generalisability of these relationships is limited, underscoring the need for research in nonWestern inclusive educational contexts such as Central Asia.