A study to assess the level of knowledge regarding early identification of learning disabilities, among mothers of under five year old children, in selected anganwadies of kidangoor gramapanchayth, with a view to develop an information pamphlet

Learning disabilities (LD) are defined as a childhood disorder, characterized by difficulty with certain skills such as reading or writing in individuals with normal intelligence. In India, its incidence is increasing at an alarming proportion, most of the individuals progress into serious cases. Perhaps, if the parents have enough knowledge it would be much easier for them to identify the manifestations at the very first occurrence and tackle the problem. This study aims to assess the level of knowledge of mothers with under five year olds regarding early identification of learning disabilities. A descriptive survey design was applied with a structured knowledge questionnaire along with a self-assessment tool for the identification of existence of risk factors of learning disabilities. The sample consisted of 30 mothers selected using a convenient sampling technique. Data revealed that among the 30 samples, 20 samples (66.6%) had average knowledge and 10 samples (33.3%) had good knowledge regarding early identification of learning disabilities.
Hence, the study was concluded with result that, the mothers had an average knowledge regarding early identification of learning disabilities. The mean level of knowledge score obtained was 14.3. There was no significant association between the knowledge level of mothers and the selected demographic variables.