BACKGROUNDTeaching the learning disabled entails more responsibility because decisions during early schooldays would influence the child's acquisition of life skills necessary for survival as an adult. Several child-oriented interventions have been found effective and carry lot of promise for future. Awareness about the nature of learning difficulties fostered positive attitudes and was inversely related to negative attitudes. Teachers differ widely in their preparedness to withstand stoically the often unrewarding and long-drawn teaching programmes. Aim-To know the socioeconomic and professional variables of the teachers' awareness and attitudes towards learning disabled children.
MATERIALS AND METHODSIn an ongoing study of teachers' awareness and attitudes towards learning disabled children, 233 teachers were tested using Schedule for Teachers' knowledge and attitudes towards learning disabled children. Their awareness about causes, symptoms, course and management and their attitudes along five different dimensions; hostility, criticality, rejection, warmth and overprotectiveness were measured. Their sociodemographic and professional measures such as age, sex, religion, domicile, marital status, mother tongue, educational attainments, teaching experience, responsibility as class teacher and classes handled were identified.
RESULTSUsing the heterogeneity of these profiles, it was found that awareness was associated with being a woman, semi-urban domicile, training, and personal variables. Positive attitudes were related to empathic exposure and negative attitude to frustration in handling the children.
CONCLUSIONSignificance of the findings in choosing the right person and awareness programmes to mitigate negative feelings of the teachers are emphasised.