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Fulltext Visual acuity and visual skills in Malaysian children with learning disabilities

Muzaliha MN, Nurhamiza B, Hussein A, Norabibas AR, Mohd-Hisham-Basrun J, Sarimah A, et al.

Clin Ophthalmol, 2012;6:1527-33.
PMID: 23055674 DOI: 10.2147/OPTH.S33270

There is limited data in the literature concerning the visual status and skills in children with learning disabilities, particularly within the Asian population. This study is aimed to determine visual acuity and visual skills in children with learning disabilities in primary schools within the suburban Kota Bharu district in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders
Thinking, learning and learning disabilities

Sinniah, Davendralingam

Malaysian Journal of Child Health, 1997;9(2):160-165.
MyJurnal

Thinking is something that we do all through our lives - an activity thcit possibly antedates our very birth itself Yet our children and we are not told about thinking or taught about the thinking process that dominates our lives, possibly, because of our own limited under-standing. Consequently, children are told to be logical and are discouraged from thinking differently, because it is the only type of think-ing we know and can understand. Methods of assessing their performance based on logical thinking underestimate their true potentials. The creative potentials of these children, 40% of who are right-brained need to be harnessed by approaches to learning that utilize methods of teaching and assessment, appropriate for their style of thinking. Another group of children, who need special attention, are those with learning disabilities that have been ignored, but can be corrected with appropriate programmes that provide a comprehensive approach to regular and special education.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders
Fulltext Early intervention of preschoolers with speech and language impairments by parents as first teachers: a case study on four families in Kuching, Sarawak

Fadzillah AJ, Lee JAC

Journal of Cognitive Sciences & Human Development, 2017;3(1):1-10.
MyJurnal

Parental involvement during early childhood development is important especially when the child has learning disabilities. This research aims to study the effectiveness of parental-based speech training programs for preschoolers with Speech Language Impairments (SLI) in a localized setting. The method used was qualitative and data was collected from selected preschoolers (N = 5) with different types of SLI symptoms. Each participant was assessed using a standardized assessment protocol to measure his/her language scale. The participants were given the intervention program by their own parents using the Hanen’s It Takes Two to Talk program. The progress of each subject and observations from these sessions were documented. The participants were assessed again once the intervention had been implemented. Substantial results were achieved when all subjects showed improvements in language comprehension and production skills. These results highlight the importance of parental involvement as first teachers in the early intervention of children with SLI.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders
Fulltext Children with learning disabilities in the paediatric clinic, Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar Seremban: an overview

Mariana AM, Wong SL

Med J Malaysia, 2011 Dec;66(5):487-90.
PMID: 22390107 MyJurnal

The aim of the study was to document the prevalence of learning disability among the children attending the Paediatric Clinic in Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar Seremban. The demographic distribution of these patients; the age of detection of the problem; the associated medical conditions and types of intervention received by these patients were documented. Patients who were between the ages of five to twelve years were included in the study. Learning disability was divided into three categories: speech and articulation problems, academic skills disorder and other categories which included developmental delay. Children with cerebral palsy were excluded from the study. Out of 1320 patients screened, 355 were found to have learning disorders. Majority were Malays, with the male to female ratio of 1.9:1. Most of the patients stayed in Seremban. The learning problem was most commonly detected at the age of 4 years and below. The commonest type of learning disorder was developmental delay, followed by academic skills disorder, speech and academic skills problems and speech disorders. Problems that were detected early were speech problems and developmental delay. Majority of the children had associated medical conditions. Most of the patients received some form of intervention but 11.3% did not attend any intervention program at all. A strategy should be formulated and implemented to help this group of children.

Study site: Paediatric Clinic in Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar Seremban

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/epidemiology*
Parent-Reported Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes and Impact on Family of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Survivors After Repair: A Cross-Sectional Comparison to Healthy Controls

Rajasegaran S, Nooraziz AN, Abdullah A, Sanmugam A, Singaravel S, Gan CS, et al.

J Pediatr Surg, 2024 Apr;59(4):577-582.
PMID: 38160184 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.12.007

BACKGROUND: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) survivors often experience long-term CDH-associated morbidities, including musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and respiratory issues. This study evaluates parent-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and family impact of the disease.
METHODS: Electronic medical records (EMR) were reviewed and phone surveys performed with parents of CDH survivors who underwent repair at our institution from 2010 to 2019. They completed the following Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) questionnaires: Generic Core Scales 4.0 (parent-proxy report) and Family Impact (FI) Module 2.0. Age-matched and gender-matched healthy controls from an existing database were used for comparison. Subgroup analysis of CDH patients alone was also performed. Appropriate statistical analysis was used with p

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders*
The use of graphic rules in grade one to help identify children at risk of handwriting difficulties

Khalid PI, Yunus J, Adnan R, Harun M, Sudirman R, Mahmood NH

Res Dev Disabil, 2010 Nov-Dec;31(6):1685-93.
PMID: 20554150 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2010.04.005

Previous researches on elementary grade handwriting revealed that pupils employ certain strategy when writing or drawing. The relationship between this strategy and the use of graphic rules has been documented but very little research has been devoted to the connection between the use of graphic rules and handwriting proficiency. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the relative contribution of the use of graphic rules to the writing ability. A sample of 105 first graders who were average printers and 65 first graders who might experience handwriting difficulty, as judged by their teachers, of a normal primary school were individually tested on their use of graphic rules. It has been found that pupils who are below average printers use more non-analytic strategy than average printers to reproduce the figures. The results also reveal that below average printers do not acquire the graphic principles that foster an analytic approach to production skills. Although the findings are not sufficient to allow definitive conclusions about handwriting ability, it can be considered as one of the screening measures in identifying pupils who are at risk of handwriting difficulties.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/diagnosis*; Learning Disorders/epidemiology
Extraction of dynamic features from hand drawn data for the identification of children with handwriting difficulty

Khalid PI, Yunus J, Adnan R

Res Dev Disabil, 2010 Jan-Feb;31(1):256-62.
PMID: 19854613 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2009.09.009

Studies have shown that differences between children with and without handwriting difficulties lie not only in the written product (static data) but also in dynamic data of handwriting process. Since writing system varies among countries and individuals, this study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using quantitative outcome measures of children's drawing to identify children who are at risk of handwriting difficulties. A sample of 143 first graders of a normal primary school was investigated regarding their handwriting ability. The children were divided into two groups: test and control. Ten children from test group and 40 children from control group were individually tested for their Visual Motor Integration skills. Analysis on dynamic data indicated significant differences between the two groups in temporal and spatial measures of the drawing task performance. Thus, kinematic analysis of children's drawing is feasible to provide performance characteristic of handwriting ability, supporting its use in screening for handwriting difficulty.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/diagnosis*; Learning Disorders/psychology
Motor performance and functional mobility in children with specific learning disabilities

Suhaili I, Harun D, Kadar M, Hanif Farhan MR, Nur Sakinah B, Evelyn Jong TH

Med J Malaysia, 2019 02;74(1):34-39.
PMID: 30846660

INTRODUCTION: Limitations in motor performances among children with specific learning disabilities (SLD) can lead to impaired functional skills. Thus, this study aimed to determine the level of motor performances and functional mobility, and the influence of motor performances on the functional mobility in children with SLD.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 148 children with SLD and their caregivers. The evaluation consisted of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) and the Functional Mobility domain from Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT). The level of motor performances and functional mobility were determined. A linear regression was then conducted to assess the influence of motor performances that could be accounted for functional mobility scores.
RESULTS: More than half of the children with SLD showed motor performance difficulty in manual dexterity subscale (54.7%). For functional mobility, the mean standard T-score indicated an average level of capability (49.49±15.96). A regression analysis revealed that both manual dexterity and balance were significant predictors for functional mobility. According to the regression coefficients, manual dexterity (B=1.37, β=0.303, sr2=0.077) was found to be a stronger predictor compared to balance (B=0.85, β=0.178, sr2=0.028).
CONCLUSION: Manual dexterity was found to influence functional mobility among children with SLD. Therefore, fine motor skills intervention for children with SLD should emphasize on manual dexterity training. Future studies that involve dual tasks and inclusion of typical children would give useful additional information on motor performances issues in children with SLD.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/physiopathology*; Learning Disorders/psychology
Fulltext Comparison of vision disorders between children in mainstream and special education classes in government primary schools in Malaysia

Abu Bakar NF, Chen AH, Md Noor AR, Goh PP

Singapore Med J, 2012 Aug;53(8):541-4.
PMID: 22941133

The visual status of children with learning disabilities has not been extensively studied. This study aimed to compare vision disorders between children in mainstream classes and those with learning disabilities attending special education classes in government primary schools in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/complications; Learning Disorders/epidemiology*
The Internal Reliability of Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (F-COPES) in Malay version among caregivers of individual with learning disabilities

Alwi N, Harun D, Omar B, Ahmad M, Zagan M, Leonard JH

Clin Ter, 2015 Nov-Dec;166(6):e361-4.
PMID: 26794817 DOI: 10.7417/T.2015.1901

Caregivers face challenges to adapt while handling individual with learning disabilities (LD). The Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (F-COPES) is a widely used instrument to measure coping strategies among caregivers. The current study performed cross cultural translation of F-COPES in Malay language. This study aims to examine the reliability by testing internal consistency of Malay version of F-COPES which is developed through back to back translation method from original English version.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders
Fulltext A research review: how technology helps to improve the learning process of learners with dyslexia

Chai JT, Chen CJ

Journal of Cognitive Sciences & Human Development, 2017;2(2):26-43.
MyJurnal

Dyslexia is a language disorder that leads to difficulty with words and it is the most common type of learning disability. This article presents a systematic review on the current state of assistive technologies used in improving the learning process of learn-ers with dyslexia. A total of 25 journals articles and international conference papers published between 2000 and 2014 were included in the review. The research articles were collected from 12 databases and analyzed based on the qualitative cyclical pro-cess. A majority of the studies focused on children and adolescents. Four main themes on the types of technologies used in aiding the learning process of learners with dys-lexia are derived and discussed. These include text-to-speech, eye-tracking, virtual learning environments, and games. The text-to-speech technology is the most common type of technology used by learners with dyslexia. In terms of the roles played by the assistive technologies, another four emerging themes are identified, which cover the roles of aiding reading, writing, memory, and mathematics. The review also discovers that a majority of these studies focus on the use of technologies for improving the reading ability of learners with dyslexia.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders
Visual-perceptual-kinesthetic inputs on influencing writing performances in children with handwriting difficulties

Tse LF, Thanapalan KC, Chan CC

Res Dev Disabil, 2014 Feb;35(2):340-7.
PMID: 24333804 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.11.013

This study investigated the role of visual-perceptual input in writing Chinese characters among senior school-aged children who had handwriting difficulties (CHD). The participants were 27 CHD (9-11 years old) and 61 normally developed control. There were three writing conditions: copying, and dictations with or without visual feedback. The motor-free subtests of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception (DTVP-2) were conducted. The CHD group showed significantly slower mean speeds of character production and less legibility of produced characters than the control group in all writing conditions (ps<0.001). There were significant deteriorations in legibility from copying to dictation without visual feedback. Nevertheless, the Group by Condition interaction effect was not statistically significant. Only position in space of DTVP-2 was significantly correlated with the legibility among CHD (r=-0.62, p=0.001). Poor legibility seems to be related to the less-intact spatial representation of the characters in working memory, which can be rectified by viewing the characters during writing. Visual feedback regarding one's own actions in writing can also improve legibility of characters among these children.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/physiopathology*
Fulltext Comparison on testability of visual acuity, stereo acuity and colour vision tests between children with learning disabilities and children without learning disabilities in government primary schools

Abu Bakar NF, Chen AH

Indian J Ophthalmol, 2014 Feb;62(2):141-4.
PMID: 24008790 DOI: 10.4103/0301-4738.116481

Children with learning disabilities might have difficulties to communicate effectively and give reliable responses as required in various visual function testing procedures.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/physiopathology*
Impact of the special care dentistry education on Malaysian students' attitudes, self-efficacy and intention to treat people with learning disability

Mohamed Rohani M, Ahmad Fuad N, Ahmad MS, Esa R

Eur J Dent Educ, 2022 Nov;26(4):741-749.
PMID: 34939257 DOI: 10.1111/eje.12756

INTRODUCTION: Special Care Dentistry (SCD) education has been introduced in Malaysia, but there are limited number of studies about its impact to students. Thus, this study aimed to explore the level of students' readiness to treat people with learning disability (PWLD) based on their attitudes, self-efficacy and intention to treat.
METHODS: A questionnaire was developed based on the Dental Student Attitude to the Handicapped Scale, Scale of Attitudes to the Disabled Persons and Health Action Process Approach. The self-administered, validated questionnaire was tested for reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .71-.81), before being distributed to clinical dental students of both genders from two universities (University A, n = 176 and University B, n = 175). Quantitative data were analysed via t test and ANOVA (p

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders*
Fulltext Employment Experiences among Young Malaysian Adults with Learning Disabilities

Harun D, Che' Din N, Mohd Rasdi HF, Shamsuddin K

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 12 23;17(1).
PMID: 31877917 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17010115

The aim of this study was to describe the employment experiences of persons with learning disabilities (LDs) in developing countries, such as Malaysia. Factors associated with respondents' employment were also determined. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among young adults with LD who left the special education programs in secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Ninety young adults with LD, aged 18 to 25 years were interviewed face-to-face at an agreed upon convenient place on their working experiences after leaving secondary schools. A total of 13 respondents were excluded from the analysis because their intellectual quotient (IQ) score demonstrated a high possibility of intellectual disability with IQ estimation <70. Of the 77 young adults analyzed, 74.0% reported having work experience and 64.9% were working at the time of interview. Statistical analysis showed significant associations between individual, family, and community factors with respondents' employment. Two factors made a unique statistically significant contribution to the model (gender, p = 0.043 and adult service: Financial support p = 0.012). This study suggests the current school-to-work transition program at secondary and post-secondary schools should be improved to better prepare young adults with LD with necessary skills relevant for the current job market so that they could improve their employability.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/epidemiology*
Fulltext 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in diverse populations

Kruszka P, Addissie YA, McGinn DE, Porras AR, Biggs E, Share M, et al.

Am J Med Genet A, 2017 Apr;173(4):879-888.
PMID: 28328118 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.38199

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS) is the most common microdeletion syndrome and is underdiagnosed in diverse populations. This syndrome has a variable phenotype and affects multiple systems, making early recognition imperative. In this study, individuals from diverse populations with 22q11.2 DS were evaluated clinically and by facial analysis technology. Clinical information from 106 individuals and images from 101 were collected from individuals with 22q11.2 DS from 11 countries; average age was 11.7 and 47% were male. Individuals were grouped into categories of African descent (African), Asian, and Latin American. We found that the phenotype of 22q11.2 DS varied across population groups. Only two findings, congenital heart disease and learning problems, were found in greater than 50% of participants. When comparing the clinical features of 22q11.2 DS in each population, the proportion of individuals within each clinical category was statistically different except for learning problems and ear anomalies (P

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/diagnosis*; Learning Disorders/ethnology; Learning Disorders/genetics; Learning Disorders/physiopathology
Fulltext Nicotine-prevented learning and memory impairment in REM sleep-deprived rat is modulated by DREAM protein in the hippocampus

Abd Rashid N, Hapidin H, Abdullah H, Ismail Z, Long I

Brain Behav, 2017 06;7(6):e00704.
PMID: 28638710 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.704

INTRODUCTION: REM sleep deprivation is associated with impairment in learning and memory, and nicotine treatment has been shown to attenuate this effect. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of DREAM protein in learning and memory processes. This study investigates the association of DREAM protein in REM sleep-deprived rats hippocampus upon nicotine treatment.
METHODS: Male Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to normal condition, REM sleep deprivation and control wide platform condition for 72 hr. During this procedure, saline or nicotine (1 mg/kg) was given subcutaneously twice a day. Then, Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to assess learning and memory performance of the rats. The rats were sacrificed and the brain was harvested for immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis.
RESULTS: MWM test found that REM sleep deprivation significantly impaired learning and memory performance without defect in locomotor function associated with a significant increase in hippocampus DREAM protein expression in CA1, CA2, CA3, and DG regions and the mean relative level of DREAM protein compared to other experimental groups. Treatment with acute nicotine significantly prevented these effects and decreased expression of DREAM protein in all the hippocampus regions but only slightly reduce the mean relative level of DREAM protein.
CONCLUSION: This study suggests that changes in DREAM protein expression in CA1, CA2, CA3, and DG regions of rat's hippocampus and mean relative level of DREAM protein may involve in the mechanism of nicotine treatment-prevented REM sleep deprivation-induced learning and memory impairment in rats.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders/metabolism; Learning Disorders/prevention & control
Fulltext Identification of two novel mutations, PSEN1 E280K and PRNP G127S, in a Malaysian family

Ch'ng GS, An SS, Bae SO, Bagyinszky E, Kim S

Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat, 2015;11:2315-22.
PMID: 26396515 DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S86334

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, which can be categorized into two main forms: early onset AD and late onset AD. The genetic background of early onset AD is well understood, and three genes, the APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 have been identified as causative genes. In the current study, we tested three siblings from Malaysia who were diagnosed with early onset dementia, as well as their available family members. The family history was positive as their deceased father was similarly affected. Patients were tested for mutations in APP, PSEN1, PSEN2, and PRNP. A novel variant, E280K, was discovered in exon 8 of PSEN1 in the three siblings. In silico analyses with SIFT, SNAP, and PolyPhen2 prediction tools and three-dimensional modeling were performed, and the results suggested that the mutation is probably a pathogenic variant. Two additional pathogenic mutations were previously been described for codon 280, E280A, and E280G, which could support the importance of the E280 residue in the PS1 protein contributing to the pathogenic nature of E280K. Additional ten family members were screened for the E280K mutation, and all of them were negative. Six of them presented with a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including learning disabilities, epilepsy, and schizophrenia, while four family members were asymptomatic. A novel PRNP G127S mutation was found in a step-niece of the three siblings harboring the PSEN1 E280K mutation. In silico predictions for PRNP G127S mutation suggested that this might be possibly a damaging variant. Additional studies to characterize PRNP G127S would be necessary to further understand the effects of this mutation.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders
Fulltext Prevalence and risk factors associated with malnutrition among children with learning disabilities: a scoping review

Nur Hamiza Ruzaini Hashim, Sakinah Harith, Raishan Shafini Bakar, Nur-Fazimah Sahran

Malays J Nutr, 2017;23(1):65-80.
MyJurnal

Introduction: By the end of 2015, about 72,152 children with learning disabilities were registered under the Malaysian Welfare Service Department (JKM). Malnutrition has been found to be a common setback among children with learning disability (LD). This study presents available evidence on the prevalence and risk factors associated with malnutrition in children with LD.

Methods: A framework suggested by Arksey & O`Male (2005) was used to carry out this scoping review. Published articles, reviews and reports were identified through a complete search. Inclusion criteria for the search were English articles related to LD, published from 2005 to 2016.

Results: Seventeen international studies published from 2005 until 2015 with a total of 318,596 participants and one study involving 281 participants from Malaysia, were identified and included in this review (n=18). The target age range of the sample in these 18 studies was 2 - 20 years, with a mean age of 3.2 - 14.2 years. The prevalence of underweight among children with LD was 3.4 - 36%, overweight 7.6 - 37% and obesity 5.7 - 52%. Several studies reveal that malnutrition risk among children with LD is significantly associated with gender, age, genetic syndrome, type of disability, medication used, and country economic status.

Conclusion: A number of studies show that children with LD have a higher prevalence of being overweight and obese than typically developing children and the risk associated with obesity significantly increases with age.

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders
Fulltext Clinical diagnosis and non-verbal ability of primary-one school children with LD

Toh, Teck Hock, Wong, See Chang, Muhamad Rais Abdullah

Int J Public Health Res, 2011;1(2):33-40.
MyJurnal

Introduction More school children were referred for learning difficutly (LD), especially after the introduction of LINUS sccreening programme by Ministry of Education Malaysia.
Aims To study the clinical diagnosis and non-verbal ability of primary-one school children with LD after paediatric assessment, as well as associated behavioural issues and socio-economincal background.
Methods Assessment findings by Paediatricians and Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test®(NNAT®) results of all primary-one school children referred in year 2010 with LD were studied retrospectively.
Results Ninety-three children were included (62.4% male), and 72.0% of them failed the LINUS screening programme. The commonest diagnoses were Borderline Intellectual Disability (ID, 37.6%) and Mild ID (19.4%). Other diagnoses included Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD, 11.8%), Specific Learning Disability (SLD, 10.8%), Autistic Spectrum Disorder (n = 5) and Severe Language Disorder (n = 3). Mean NNAT scores were 84.6 ± 11.8 (n = 85), of which 9.4% children scored less than 70 (

Matched MeSH terms: Learning Disorders

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