Screening of Children at Risk of Dyslexia in Primary Schools of Gujrat

Abstract

Dyslexia, a common neurodevelopmental disease, impairs children's ability to read, write, and spell, despite having enough IQ and educational opportunity. Early detection is critical to reducing its influence on academic performance and mental health. Sample of 1000 students were selected from different schools of Gujrat city from 2-5 class. Firstly, teachers identified students who were having problem in reading, writing or mathematical expression using Teacher Identification checklist and SCID (Screening checklist for identification of dyslexia) to identify or diagnose children with dyslexia. Diagnosed children were excluded from the sample and the remaining data was collected from 941 participants. These participants were then assessed using SPM (standard progressive matrices) (Raven & Raven, 1938) and DST-J (Dyslexia Screening Test Junior) (Fawcett & Nicolson, 2004) to evaluate their academic and cognitive performance. The results reported approximately 13% prevalence of children at risk of Dyslexia from main stream schools of Gujrat city. The findings highlighted the critical need for structured, culturally relevant screening programs, specialized teacher training, early interventions, and policy actions that promote inclusive education.