CHENNAI: Around 16% to 20% of children in city schools have learning disabilities. The findings are based on a sample study of 200 students by Chennai-based clinical neuropsychologist Dr B S Virudhagirinathan, who has researched this field for several years, with Help Child Centre for Learning Difficulty.

The study, likely to be the first to be taken up in a systematic manner in Tamil Nadu, is part of a larger state-wide research of 4,000 children from a cross-section of rural and urban schools selected through a systematic random sampling method. All the children studied are from Classes 2 to 6.

Experts said the global prevalence rate was around 12% around four years ago. “The numbers are sure to have gone up now,” said Lakshmi Krishnakumar, director (learning disability), Sankalp – The Open School. The common types of LD include dyslexia (difficulty with reading), dyscalculia (difficulty with maths), dysgraphia (difficulty with writing), dyspraxia (difficulty with fine motor skills) and dysphasia (difficulty with language).

“During the study, we found that learning disability shows up significantly among students in Class 4. This may be because they are incorporating grammar elements while learning to write sentences,” Dr Virudhagirinathan said. The children were subject to the Help Child Learning Disability Screening Test, which lasts for around one hour.

The sample study was conducted among equal number of boys and girls. Of the 200, 50 were from CBSE schools, 50 from state board, and an equal number from Anglo-Indian and matriculation schools. The children were all from English-medium schools, and all of them took Tamil as the second language.

- 16% to 20% of children in city schools have learning disabilities, finds sample study by neuropsychologist Dr B S Virudhagirinathan

- Quarterly progress report on inclusive education by state department shows 0.015% of children between six and 14 years have LD

- Global prevalence rate of LD among general population stood at 12% four years ago, and is likely to have increased