SCREENING FOR DYSLEXIA AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN OF ALLAMA IQBAL COLONY RAWALPINDI

Abstract

Objective: To screen out children at risk of Dyslexia in schools of Allam Iqbal Colony of Rawalpindi.
Study Design: Cross sectional study design.
Method: The sample consisted of 700 school children in the age range of 6 ½ - 11 ½ years. As a first step teachers identified children from their classes, who had any sort of difficulties in reading, writing, spellings, and language. Demographic information form and dyslexia screening test (DST) were used for assessment and other details we used. t-test and chi square tests for difference between groups of children with and without dyslexia.
Results: From the total population approached (700) the screened out cases were 39 (5.57%). More boys (71.8%) than girls (28.2%) were reported at risk. Between children with and without dyslexia there was no statistically significant difference for any demographic variable except the average monthly family income which was significantly lower among dyslexia cases.
Conclusion: A high percentage of children in schools in Pakistan are at risk of dyslexia and this requires immediate attention for nationwide identification of these cases and providing special educational services to this neglected group.