Awareness and Knowledge of Dyslexia among Elementary School Teachers in India

Abstract

Around 10% of school children have some degree of dyslexia. In developed countries and the West in particular dyslexia is recognized as a major educational and medical problem, but has not received sufficient attention in developing countries. Elementary school teachers could play a crucial role in identifying dyslexia early and in creating awareness about learning disorders in the community. There are very few studies on the knowledge of school teachers about learning disorders and hardly any involving dyslexia. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge of dyslexia in elementary school teachers and the variables influencing the knowledge. Therefore 314 teachers from 32 schools were given a self- report questionnaire, sociodemographic history was elicited and the teachers knowledge was assessed based on their responses about 12 signs and symptoms of dyslexia. 262 teachers were ‘aware’ of the term dyslexia, only 24 teachers had prior training. Only 1 in 3 teachers had adequate knowledge of dyslexia. Most teachers were in favor of