Specific Learning Difficulties: Diagnosis and Implications for Social Psychological Functioning
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Date
2005
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Department of Psychology, University of Peshawar. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Abstract
The present research examined the prevalence ofspecific learning disabilities and its implication for social psychological functioning among girls. The research was carried out in two phases. The first phase comprised of development of a screening check list, development of the scale to measure learning disabilities and establishing its discriminant validity. The second phase comprised of assessing the 1.0 level oflearning disable and non disable girls and to investigate psychological comorbidity among the girls who have learning disabilities. Raven Colour Progressive Matrices and Human Figure Drawing test was used for the assessment of level of intelligence and to investigate psychological comorbidity. From an initial pool of item based on most reported symptoms of learning disabilities seventeen items were selected after meeting the criteria ofinclusion. Over all the results of validity test provided good evidence of discriminant validity
and confirmed the diagnostic value of newly devised scale. The sample of phase one comprised off our hundred girls students who were initially assessed on screening check list to find out the presence of symptoms of specific learning disabilities. Those girls students who responded yes to twelve or more than twelve symptoms were selected for further assessment and rest of them were excluded as they were not showing symptoms of learning disabilities. Out off our hundred two hundred girls students who showed symptoms of specific learning disabilities were further assessed on learning disabilities scale. Seventy five girls students out of two hundred were diagnosed as suffering from specific learning disabilities. Similar assessment procedure was adopted with seventy five non disable girls students. It was hypothesized that poor selfimage, anxiety, depression and aggression will be more prevalent among girls suffering from specific learning disabilities than those without specific learning disabilities. Results supported our hypotheses. It was found that girls suffering from specific leaning disabilities showed greater number of emotional indicators on
Human Figure Drawing Test measuringpoorselfimage, anxiety, aggression and depression as compared to non disable girls who showed lesser number of emotional indicators. Scores of learning disable and non disable girls on Coloured Progrsessive Matrices showed no significant differences between the two groups. The relationship between specific learning disabilities and psychological comorbidity was evident and supported some of the previous findings.
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Citation
Irshad, E. (2005). SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES: DIAGNOSIS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING (Doctoral dissertation, UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR).