TEACHERS’ AWARENESS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD COMMUNICATION DISORDERS AMONG CHILDREN IN GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN LAHORE

Abstract

Children with communication disorders struggle to interpret, organize, and utilize language in learning and social environments. These conditions could involve speech sound problems, delays in language development, stuttering, voice issues and social communication delays. The purpose of this study was to examine the awareness, attitude and practices of the government primary school teachers in the context of communication disorders among children in Lahore city. The research design was quantitative descriptive and the data were gathered from 357 teachers with a structured questionnaire on a 31 item Likert scale questionnaire on three domains: awareness of communication disorders, attitudes towards affected children and classroom practices/supports. Results showed medium to low awareness, especially for the recognition of specific disorders, voice-disorder symptoms and referral pathways. While teachers had a good awareness of the significance of early identification, and they had some awareness that communication disorders are an important issue, many reported a lack of confidence in supporting children with communication disorders in mainstream classrooms. There were also areas of poor practice in relation to parent communication, use of supportive strategies and collaboration with school staff. Interestingly, the majority of participants were not trained in communication disorders or special education. The study indicates that there is a need for in-service teacher training, school based referral mechanisms and inclusive support in Government Primary Schools.