Background: A learning disability is a neurological disorder that affects a person's ability to acquire, retain, and apply new skills or knowledge. These conditions may impact numerous aspects of learning, such as reading, writing, mathematics, and communication. Dyslexia is the most well-known learning disability. Phoniatricians are critical in helping people with learning disabilities. This study aimed to measure the knowledge and awareness of a sample of Egyptian teachers about the role of phoniatricians in rehabilitating children with learning disabilities.
Methods: A survey was conducted using a questionnaire of 39 multiple-choice questions provided to 100 teachers from 10 different national schools from two areas in Cairo and Giza. All teachers graduated from the same college, and none work as SENCO (special education coordinator). The questionnaire was provided online using the Monkey Survey, and the answers were collected within one week. Each participant was scored on the correctness of their answers out of the maximum score of 39.
Results: Only six questions were answered correctly by > 70% of the participants, and 50% of them answered 1/3 of the questions correctly. The mean score of the 100 teachers was 19±4. (range: 6-31). The median percentage of the score was 46.2% (range: 15.4%-79.5%). The median score was reached by 56% of the teachers. The scores were not affected by age or sex of participants. The scores in the 6th of October City schools were significantly higher than in the 5th settlement (20.1±3.9 vs. 17.0±3.0, respectively, p < 0.001). The minimum success score (28, 70%) was reached by only two female teachers; their school has a special needs class and a supporting unit.
Conclusion: The knowledge of teachers in the national schools in Egypt about the role of Phoniatricians in rehabilitating children with learning disabilities is weak. Only 2 out of 100 teachers answered 70% of the survey questions correctly. Teachers must be educated and trained about learning disabilities and their management.