Now, a dyslexia detection kit designed for Indians

When Taare Zameen Par, a film on dyslexia, released five years ago, there was much talk about how parents and teachers often fail to identify the disorder.

When Taare Zameen Par, a film on dyslexia, released five years ago, there was much talk about how parents and teachers often fail to identify the disorder. Now, for the first time in India, a diagnostic toolkit, called Dyslexia Screening Test for Juniors, will help schools solve this problem.

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Dyslexia is a developmental reading disorder, where an individual has trouble recognising letters of the alphabet and associating meanings of words with spellings. It is often compounded with similar disability in arithmetic and writing. In India, 10% of children are said to be dyslexic, similar to the world average.

“In India, education and academic performance is an important issue for families. If dyslexia goes unnoticed, it is stressful for the child. People often think the child is not trying hard enough,” said Angela Fawcett, 67, vice-president, British Dyslexia Association, who developed the test with professor Rod Nicolson in the UK.

The test, administered to children between age six to 11, is published by Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment. It was first developed in the late 1990s. It was developed for India only over the past three years. “Even a schoolteacher can administer this test with some training,” said Fawcett, whose son and husband suffer from dyslexia. Fawcett researched possible causes and different support methods. “I did not want to be an ivory tower academic but wanted to create something that can be used by everyone,” said Fawcett.

The test comprises 12 different components that assess postural stability, reading and comprehension and hand-eye co-ordination. The results are marked on a form and scores can be easily analysed. The kit costs around Rs11,000 and 50 children can be screened using one kit.

“We conducted tests in different schools and more than 300 children participated. After a three-phased implementation, the test is ready for India,” said Dr Nitin Anand, senior product development leader, Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment.