SURAT, January 24: Children with learning disability can now be diagnosed at early age, thanks to a city-based researcher who is developing a screening test that can identify the problem within minutes.
Rudresh Vyas, head of psychology department at MTB Arts College, has received grant of Rs 13 lakh from University Grants Commission (UGC) to develop the screening test. He will work on the project for the next three years and after successful tests of the model it will be introduced for use by teachers.
When completed, the test will be the first of its kind that can help teachers to identify students with learning disability.
“With this test a child will be screened within 15 minutes. Currently, there are tests available which require three to four hours. This test will be easy since it will be computerized and shows results in seconds,” said Vyas. The test will be available in three languages — Gujarati, Hindi and English.
Learning disability in children is a psychological problem that remains unidentified in majority of the cases. There are three major form of the disability — dyslexia (problem of reading), dysgraphia (problem in writing) and dyscalculia (problem in mathematical calculation). “Almost 15 per cent of the young students have learning disability of which 99 per cent remain unidentified due to lack of awareness among of teachers and parents,” Vyas explained.
“It is important that these children be identified at an early age to help them learn and perform at par with others. There number of celebrities who have had learning disability. People with this disability are intelligent but they need specific method for learning,” he added.
