Analysis of Dyslexic Adolescents Recollections of their Schooling Years

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Analysis of Dyslexic Adolescents Recollections
of their Schooling Years

• Sunil Karande
• Vidur Mahajan
• Madhuri Kulkarni
• Learning Disability Clinic, Department of
  Pediatrics, LTM Medical College General
  Hospital, Sion, Mumbai, India

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Background of Study

• Since 1996 LD clinic at our institute
• Children diagnosed and certified as SpLD
• Govt. of Maharashtra recognized SpLD as a
  disability since 1996
• Remedial education and Provisions advised
• Many SpLD children complete schooling in regular
  mainstream schools

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Background of Study

• Awareness of SpLD less than optimum in our
  society
• SpLD children may face discrimination, ridicule
  from peers, teachers and even parents
• Surprisingly, no published literature on
  recollections of SpLD adolescents of their
  schooling years

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Aims Objectives

• To document and analyze recollections of dyslexic
  adolescents of their schooling years

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Materials Methods

• SpLD adolescents follow up when forms for X / XII
  examination forwarded to S.S.C. / H.S.C. boards
  for provisions
• Informed consent of parent and assent of
  adolescent taken
• Ethical clearance of IRB taken
• Interview instrument pre-tested both open and
  close-ended questions
• Demographic data documented

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Materials Methods

• Each interview conducted in English by a single
  investigator (VM) and audio-recorded
• Preferably, adolescent interviewed without
  accompanying parent being present
• However, parent present if so desired, but
  instructed to remain silent
• Adolescents interviewed until thematic
  saturation reached
• Study period April-June 2007

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Materials Methods

• Exclusion Criteria
• (i) SpLD adolescents having associated ADHD
• (ii) SpLD adolescents having associated
  chronic illness (such as epilepsy, asthma) as
  these might influence their recollections
• The adolescents responses analyzed and
  interpreted by Carleys eight category coding
  steps for conducting conceptual analysis
  (content analysis)
• Recollections graded as neutral, positive or
  negative and grouped into themes, e.g. -
  school, parents, siblings, peers
• Carley K Content analysis. In The Encyclopedia
  of Language and Linguistics. First Edition. Asher
  RE (Ed). Edinburgh, Pergamon Press, 1990, pp
  725730

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Questions Asked During Semi-Structured Interview

• __________________________________________________
  ___________________________________________
• 1. Overall does it feel good or bad to have SpLD?
  
• 2. What were the good things about having SpLD?
• 3. What were the bad things about having SpLD?
• 4. Overall how did your school teachers behave
  with you?
• 5. Any good thing(s) the school teachers did to
  you?
• 6. Any bad thing(s) the school teachers did to
  you?
• 7. Overall how did your classmates behave with
  you?
• 8. Any good thing(s) your classmates did to you?
• 9. Any bad thing(s) your classmates did to you?
• __________________________________________________
  _____________________________________________

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Questions Asked During Semi-Structured Interview

• __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________
• 10. Overall does it feel good or bad to have
  undergone remedial
• education?
• 11. What were the good things about remedial
  education?
• 12. What were the bad things about remedial
  education?
• 13. Overall how did your remedial teachers behave
  with you?
• 14. Any good thing(s) the remedial teachers did
  to you?
• 15. Any bad thing(s) the remedial teachers did to
  you?
• 16. Overall does it feel good or bad to have
  taken provisions?
• 17. What were the good things about provisions?
• 18. What were the bad things about provisions?
• __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________

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Questions Asked During Semi-Structured Interview

• __________________________________________________
  __________________
• 19. Overall how did your parents behave with you?
• 20. Any good thing(s) your parent(s) did to you?
• 21. Any bad thing(s) your parent(s) did to you?
• 22. Overall how did your sibling(s) behave with
  you?
• 23. Any good thing(s) your sibling(s) did to you?
• 24. Any bad thing(s) your sibling(s) did to you?
• 25. What changes you would like in your school to
  help children
• having SpLD?
• 26. Overall do you feel that your future is good
  or bad? Why?
• 27. What career do you want to do in the future?
• __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________

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Demographic Profile of 30 Adolescents
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Demographic Profile of 30 Adolescents
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Results
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Conclusions

• 66.7 had a positive attitude towards their SpLD
  (RE provisions helped)
• 73.3 had positive recollections of school
  teachers
• 40 had negative recollections of classmates
• 61.9 had positive recollections of remedial
  education
• 81 had positive recollections of remedial
  teachers
• 75 had positive recollections of provisions

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Conclusions

• Only 36.7 had positive recollections of parents
  attitude
• Only 34.8 had positive recollections of
  sibling(s) attitude
• 66.7 desired changes in school to help SpLD
  children
• 76.7 had positive perception of their future
  life
• 60 wanted to do professional courses (higher
  education)

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Future Tasks

• Improving class teachers / classmates / parents /
  siblings knowledge attitude towards SpLD and
  provisions
• Counseling adolescents about future career and
  life

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Limitations of Study

• One-time interview with parent waiting outside
  negative recollections may be under-reported
• All strata of society not represented
• Effect of co morbid ADHD not studied

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