The prevalence of dyslexia among children aged 7 to 9 in a Nairobi school

Abstract

Background: Dyslexia is a term that describes why given populations of school-going children fails to learn to read in spite of normal intelligence, adequate environmental and educational opportunities. Some studies indicate that the prevalence of dyslexia is overestimated while others indicate an underestimation. Objective: To identify the prevalence of dyslexia among children aged 7 to 9 in a Nairobi school and describe the child and parental demographic characteristics and dyslexia. Method: With a sample size of 120, the study recruited children in class 2 and 3 attending a primary school in Nairobi. The Burt reading test was used to identify those children with a reading discrepancy of 9 months and over. The DST-J was then used to assess children who are at risk for dyslexia. The statistical package for social science (SPSS, version 20), was used to analyze the data which was then presented using tables, graphs, pie charts and narratives. Results: The prevalence of dyslexia was 7.49%. The child’s reading age (mean = 25.87 SD= 78.8, p < 0.0001) and the child’s history of reading difficulties (mean = 1.86 SD= 0.35, p< 0.0001) was statistically significant with dyslexia. There was weak connection between parental demographic characteristic and dyslexia.