Study: Prevalence of dyslexia among primary school kids in Kuching registers six pct
KUCHING: The prevalence of dyslexia among primary schoolchildren in the city stands at six per cent, according to a study in 2015.
In comparison, the international rate is between five and 15 per cent.
The study, conducted by former Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) lecturer Dr Ong Puay Hoon who is the president of Dyslexia Association of Sarawak (DASwk), covers 10 primary schools in and around Kuching.
“The schools were randomly selected and the study was done on Primary 3 children,” she said at a press conference held a er the groundbreaking ceremony for the DASwk’s ‘ Learning and Resource Centre’ in Desa Wira, Batu Kawa here yesterday.
Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee represented Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg at the event.
Back on the study, Dr Ong said 30 children visited DASwk’s Learning and Resource Centre for assessment in 2017.
“This means that we have at least two children coming for the assessment a month,” she said, adding that before this yearend, the centre had registered 80 children for assessment.
In his observation, Dr Annuar said the figures indicated that the community had become more aware of dyslexia, rather than reflecting the increase in learning inability.
“This is why the study says ‘prevalence’. People are more aware of it (dyslexia), which is why the number (of assessments) increases,” he added.
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty affecting a person’s ability to deal with text and numbers. It is characterised by an inability to recognise le ers and combinations of them, problems in reading, writing, speaking and listening – despite the adequate teaching, home environment, motivation, intelligence and senses like vision, hearing and touch.
Dyslexia is not a disease – it is a learning difference due to the variations in the structure and functions of the brain.
Dr Ong said apart from dyslexia, DASwk would also reach out to individuals diagnosed with A ention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
It is said that there is only one DASwk Learning and Resource Centre in Sarawak.
As such, the association is falling short of RM2.5 million to meet the estimated RM3.5-million project cost to build a threestorey building comprising an office, staff room, 10 classrooms and a multi-purpose hall.
The works are scheduled for completion in two years.
Dr Annuar pledged a personal donation of RM60,000 to sponsor a classroom.
According to Dr Ong, there are plans to set up DASwk Learning and Resource Centres each in Bintulu and Miri.
“But we need parents there to come together to do so. In Kuching, we started out as a group of parents coming together to set up DASwk in 2005, and (have it) registered in 2007.”
She said some children were able to overcome their learning inability in three months, while there were others who took three months.
Dr Ong believed that while it was up to an individual’s willingness to be guided, literacy remained the right of every child.
In her remarks earlier, she said since its inception, DASwk had served over 500 children from across Sarawak and even some from Sabah, Labuan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Mongolia.
“We have organised more than 100 workshops on dyslexia and effective programmes for the parents, teachers, medical and allied health professionals to learn to teach all children to read and write in both Bahasa Malaysia and English in many parts of Sarawak.”
In his comments, Dr Annuar observed that dyslectic individuals could be very creative, citing physics genius Albert Einstein and Apple’s cofounder Steve Jobs as prime examples.
“Early intervention can help children with dyslexia cope with their learning,” he said, calling upon the private sector and the community to render financial support to DASwk.
At the event, DASwk also launched the QR code for Sarawak Pay users to ‘scan and donate’ to the association.
Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang and DASwk patron Datin Azerina Mohd Arip were also present at the event.