Dyslexia Awareness among School Teachers

Aim and Objectives: The study aims in investigating the awareness of dyslexia among school teachers (primary, secondary and higher secondary) of Chennai, India and also to determine whether age, years of experience of school teachers, location and type of school (Government/Government aided or private) influence awareness of dyslexia in teachers.

Materials and Method: The study sample consists of 249 teachers from schools in Chennai. A validated questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was used to assess the knowledge of dyslexia among school teachers.

Results: The results show that the overall awareness of dyslexia among school teachers varied between inadequate knowledge to adequate knowledge. Age and years of experience has an influence on the awareness of dyslexia. But the location and type of school did not show statistically significant difference.

Conclusion: Majority of the school teachers (54.6%) were found to be fairly adequate knowledge on dyslexia. Thus, educating all the teachers about the characteristics of dyslexia and guiding them in identifying and providing adequate support to the dyslexic children is one of the important aspects that has to be focused. Thereby, providing educational training program will aid in early identification and intervention for children with dyslexia.