Prevalence of specific learning disabilities among Gujarati medium primary school children

Abstract

Introduction: Learning disability in children is an assorted group of disorders where the individual unpredictably fails to proficiently attain, regain, and use information. Objective: The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of specific learning disabilities (SpLDs) such as dyslexia and dysgraphia among the Gujarati medium primary schoolchildren. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in public schools of Gujarati medium among children aged 7–12 years from the second, third, and fourth standard. After obtaining a sociodemographic profile, a multilevel screening approach that begins with the identification of educational backwardness followed by exclusion of vision, hearing impairment, chronic health conditions, and subnormal intelligence was carried out among these children. In the last stage, remaining children were subjected to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences test for SpLDs. Results: The prevalence of SpLDs was 9.6% in sampled children, whereas 7.4%, 8.6%, and 7.1% had dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, respectively. Among children diagnosed with SpLD, 65.7% (n=25/38) of children had a combination of all three types of SpLDs. Conclusions: This study suggests that the prevalence of SpLDs in public schools is the same as private schools and metro center. We have used a multilevel screening approach that can be utilized for early identification of children with SpLD by Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram team without imposing load on specialist services. There is a need for sensitization of school teacher for timely referral, remediation strategies, and policy interventions to improve school performance and to reduce dropouts of schoolchildren.

Prevalence of Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) Among Children in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“… 31 The least prevalence was reported as 1.58% by Arun et al 28 Mogasale et al reported 12.5%, 11.2%, and 10.5% prevalence of dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, respectively, 31 while the prevalence of SLD subtypes–dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia–reported by Shan and Buch was 7.4%, 8.6%, and 7.1%, respectively. 32 …”

“…The studies assessed children at a younger age itself, except for Arun et al, for which the age group was 12 to 19 years. Three studies assessed the subcategories of SLD separately along with the total prevalence of SLD [31][32][33] ; all other studies assessed SLD in total and not the subtypes. The study by Arora et al was done in the community setting, 29 and all the other studies were conducted at schools.…”

“…The articles by Mogasale et al, Sharma et al, and Shah and Buch assessed students of Classes III to IV, III to IV, and II to VI, respectively. [31][32][33] SLD was diagnosed with different diagnostic tools in different studies. The tools used to screen and diagnose SLD were the NIMHANS-SLD index and Grade Level Assessment Device (GLAD 34 ; Table 3).…”

“…26,27 A total of six studies met the inclusion criteria for this review and were finally included in the meta-analysis (Table 2). [28][29][30][31][32][33]…”

“…Three studies were conducted in urban areas alone. [31][32][33] The grade in which the students were studying ranged from Class II to Class XII. The articles by Mogasale et al, Sharma et al, and Shah and Buch assessed students of Classes III to IV, III to IV, and II to VI, respectively.…”