MSc

The study entitled "Learning Disabilities in
Malnourished Children" undertaken in the rural areas of
Trivandrum district was conducted to study the relative effect of
malnutrition on the learning disabilities of children between



five to ten years.


•



/


The study was carried out in Trivandrum district among
children between five to ten years selected from three Lower
Primary Schools, a Primary Health Centre and Institute of
Rehabilitation of children with Cognitive and Communication
Disorders (IRCCCD), a sister concern of Sree Chithra Thirunal
Hospital. Medical College. The sample for the study comprised of
a total of 240 subjects, divided into five groups of top,
average. low r an ke r s , malnourished group and learning disabled
group.
The variables selected for the study were grouped into
dependent and independent ones for convenience of statistical
analysis. The dependent variables in the study included. the
assessment scores of LD. nutritional s t a t u s , intelligence and
overall development. While the independent ones consisted of
those regarding demographic. socio-economic, developmental,
health and nutritional as well as dietary aspects.

Zo2..
The results in course of this investigation revealed
the following salient findings.
i) The demographic and socio economic status of the subjects
studied revealed a heterogenous group of rural population
ranging from low to middle. socio-economic background
with random representation of the th~ee religions viz,
Hindu, Christian and Muslim and predominently from
backward caste.
ii) The health and developmental history showed comparatively
high prevalence of low birth weight, premature babies to
lesser duration of breast feeding and with higher
incidences of illnesses, developmental and behavioural
problems, among the groups comprised of low rankers (Group
Ill), malnourished (Group IV) and learning disabled
subjects (Gro¥p V).



i i i )


The food consumption pattern indicated that majority were
non-vegetarians with half of the sample consuming
inadequate diet (51.00 per cent). Cereals constituted the
bulk of the diet. followed by daily consumption of fish,
milk and milk products, v e g e t ab Le s , oil and sugar. Leafy
vegetables and meat were consumed only in a very small
quantity and rarely too. This agrees with the dietary

consumption pattern of rural Keralites. More inadequacy
in nutritional status was shown by low rankers and
malnourished subjects when compared to top and average
rankers and LD subjects.


2.03



i v ) With respect to the prevalence of LD, intelligence
•
malnutrition and overall development of the subjects, the
high and averagerankers showed better nutritional status,
intelligence, overall development and low LD score,
compared to low rankers, malnourished and LD subjects.
But the clinically identified LD subjects had better
nutritional status and overall development than others
though they scored poorly in intelligence and high in LD.
v) Statistical analysis revealed that Group I of top rankers
showed better intelligence, overall development and low
incidence of LD. While in the case of nutritional status
Group V topped the others, since most of them were from a



better demographic and socio-economic background.


Also



the variation regarding the major scores, was negligible
between Group III and IV ie low rankers and malnourished
subjects.
vi) The dependent variables studied such as LD, nutritional
status. intelligence and overall development showed
significant relationship with independent variables like

Il/CfGE)
age (except with overall development), parents
educational status, number of siblings, birth weight an
breast feeding duration (except with LD score), clinica
symptoms, history of illness, problems of developm~nt an



behaviour.


In the case of LD score and o v e r a l .



development score, the relationship was in the n e g a t i v.



direction. Surprisingly,


in this present study income die
.•



vii)


not show any relationship with LD and intelligence
Further LD showed negative correlation with nutritional
status or malnutrition.
It was also observed from the study that certain discrete
independent variables and demographic and social variable~
like, sex, religion, caste and mother's employment status,
have significant association with LD while all the other
developmental and dietary variables, except for diet
adequacy have insignificant association.
Thus the result in sum suggest that LD is not merely



genetical but factors in the environment like demographic and
social factors, health, dietary and developmental factors have



also an impact.


Moreover nutritional status, intelligence,



overall development and LD are interrelated. Further research in
these areas are recommended before making any concrete
generalisation.