A screening test for dyslexia launched recently will, for the first time in India, enable teachers to assess students and help detect the learning disability early.

Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment launched the Indian edition of the popular Dyslexia Screening Test-Junior (DST-J), which was authored by Dr Angela Fawcett in the UK. The 30-minute test assesses students' motor and cognitive skills, and tests them on reading, spelling, phonology and writing.

Dr Nitin Anand, senior product development leader, Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment, said that with the 'no fail' policy for students of Stds I to VIII, schools are unable to recognise if a child is having difficulty learning until s/he reaches Std IX or X. "It's too late by then," he said. "It [learning disability] should ideally be detected when a child is five or six years old. At this age, s/he has received enough stimulation to start to acquire languages."

To make the test relevant in India, a project was conducted by assessing children from across 11 cities and five geographic regions. From the city, students of Auxillium Convent, DAV Public School, Northpoint High school, Radcliffe School, Christ Academy, St Stanislaus High School and Smt Savitribai Mahatma Phule Vidyamandir were surveyed.

Dr Nita Mehta, clinical psychologist, said the test is a good idea, but in a packed timetable, teachers may not get the time to administer it. "With as many as 60 students in a class, how will teachers find the 30 minutes for this test?" she said, adding that teachers need to be made aware of the importance of the test.