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Original Article

Effectiveness of Individualized Education Program for

Slow Learners
P. Krishnakumar, M.G. Geeta 1 and Ramakrishnan Palat2

Department of Pediatrics, Medical College, Calicut; 1Medical College, Alappuzha and 2Prasanthi Centre for Devel­
opmental Disabilities, Calicut, Kerala, India

Abstract. Objective : To evaluate the effectiveness of an individualized education program for children with scholastic
backwardness. Methods : Among the children attending a Child Guidance Clinic for scholastic backwardness, 12 of them who
were diagnosed as slow learners based on current level of academic functioning and IQ, and 6 children having mild mental
retardation were given individualized education for a period of two months. Independent assessors evaluated the academic
functioning at the beginning of the training and at the end. Results : The results showed that the children had significant
improvement in their academic functioning and self esteem after the training. Conclusion : The present experiment can be
a model to set up a resource room in normal schools to provide individualized education to children who are slow learners.
[Indian J Pediatr 2006; 73 (2) : 135-137] E-mail: pkrshnakumar@gmail.com

Key words : Scholastic backwardness; Individualized education; Resource room

It is estimated that 5-15% of school-going children suffer
from scholastic backwardness. 1 One of the reasons for
scholastic backwardness is below average intelligence. It
was observed that 8-9 percent of primary school children
scored below average in standard IQ tests.2 Children with
intelligence level in the low average or borderline IQ
range can be grouped together as slow learners. These
children do not get sufficient attention in the mainstream
education. They usually fail repeatedly in examinations
and finally become school dropouts. Establishing special
schools for children in this category is not practical and
also not advisable. 3 It is ideal to evolve strategies to
provide education to these children in normal schools
itself.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the
effectiveness of an Individualized Education Program
(IEP) for children who are slow learners and to evolve a
long-term strategy to provide individualized education to
such children in normal schools.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted at the Child Guidance Clinic
(CGC) of the Department of Pediatrics, Medical College,
Calicut and the Prasanthi Center for Developmental
Correspondence and Reprint requests : Dr. P. Krishnakumar,
Caribbean Cottage, Wynad Road, Calicut, Kerala – 673001.
Disabilities. The Prasanthi Center for Developmental
Disabilities caters to the needs of children with
developmental disabilities and is managed by a Calicut­
based voluntary organization. The study period was two
months from 1stApril, 2003 to 31st May 2003 (Mid summer
vacation time in Kerala). Eighteen children attending the
CGC with scholastic backwardness, who satisfied the
inclusion and exclusion criteria, were taken up for the
study. Scholastic backwardness for this study was defined
as repeated failures in all subjects or academic
performance two classes below the class in which the
child was studying at the time. The children were
identified, based on teachers reports and parents’ opinion.
The inclusion criteria were: (1) children should be
regular students attending normal school; (2) their IQ
level should be between 50 and 90; (3) parents should give
consent for inclusion in the study and they should make
arrangements to take the child to the training center
regularly during the two month training period. Children
in the 50 – 70 IQ range were included, because a
considerable percentage of children in normal schools
with scholastic backwardness fall under this category.
These children are potentially educable. Adopting a strict
operational definition for slow learners (i.e. IQ level
between 70 and 90) will lead to exclusion of many
children from the benefit of the individualized education
program.
The following exclusion criteria were chosen: (1)
children with emotional disorders like anxiety disorders
or depressive disorders; (2) children with hearing or
visual defects; (3) physical illnesses that will affect the
training program.

Indian Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 73—February, 2006 135

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P. Krishnakumar et al

The IQ level was determined by the ‘Seguin Form the 60 - 70 range and others had IQ levels between 70 and
Board’ test4 and the ‘draw a man’ test.5 Only children 90. Academic functioning at the intake was level 0 in 5
whose IQ level was in the 50-90 range in both these tests children, level 1 in 8 children and level 2 in 5 children.
were included in the study. To assess the academic There were no children in levels 3 and 4 (Table 2).
functioning, a four level scale was designed (Table 1). It Psychological assessment showed varying degrees of
consisted of assessment of reading ability, writing ability attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
and mathematical ability. DSM-IV diagnostic criteria 67% (12) of children had significant improvement in
were used for diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.6 their academic functioning, as evidenced by the outcome
The selected children were divided into four groups of the final test paper (Table 2). This was also the parents’
with 5 children each in the first three groups and 3 opinion. 84% of parents said that the children developed
children in the group 4. They were given individualized more self esteem and that their aptitude for studies had
education at the Prasanthi Center for Developmental improved (Table 3).
Disabilities from 10 am to 1 pm, Monday to Friday for
two months. Teachers were the special educators at the TABLE 2. Academic Improvement
Prasanthi School for children with special needs, with
Intake Final No. %
diploma in special education. One teacher was assigned
Level -1 Level - 2 6 33
to each group. Level -0 Level - 1 3 17
At the beginning of the training, a meeting of the Level - 2 Level - 3 3 17
parents was called and problems of each child discussed. Level - 0 Level - 0 2 11
Parents of 8 children had primary school education only. Level - 2 Level - 2 2 11
Level - 1 Level - 1 2 11
Others had education of 10 th standard and above. An
awareness class about the causes of scholastic (Paired t test: t= -5.83; df- 17; p- 000)
backwardness and what should be done at home was
taken. The academic functioning of each child was noted. TABLE 3. Parents’ Opinion on Academic Improvement
At the end of the first month, a meeting of the parents was Improvement No. %
called again and the progress discussed. At the end of the
two months test papers in reading, writing and Some improvement 12 67
mathematics were conducted and evaluated by two No improvement 6 33
Language 10 56
external teachers who were blind to the initial level of
Maths 2 11
functioning. The opinion of the parents regarding an Aptitude 15 84
overall change in academic functioning was noted.
Paired ‘t’ test was used to assess the improvement in
academic functioning after the end of the training DISCUSSION
program.

The findings of the present study prove that academic

RESULTS functioning of children who are slow learners can
improve significantly if they are given individualized
Eighteen children participated in the training program. education. After the training program, majority of
There were 12 boys and 6 girls. The youngest child was 8 children had improved self-esteem and aptitude for
years-old and the oldest was aged 12 years. The learning. It has been observed that improved self-esteem
minimum number of years of normal schooling was three is the first step towards successful remedial education.7
years and the maximum 6 years. Six children had IQ in In the present sample, the children gained more from
the individualized education program than from several
TABLE 1. Level of Academic Functioning years of normal schooling. This is a pointer to the fact that
Level Reading Writing Mathematics
these children are grossly ignored in the mainstream
education. In a class of 40 or 50 students, the teacher will
0 Not able to read Not able to write Not able to write not be able to provide individual attention to those who
or read numbers lag behind in studies. Ideally, facilities to provide
1 Can read one or Can write name Can only write
remedial education to children who are slow learners and
two simple words. and/or one or two numbers.
simple words children with learning disorders should be available in all
schools. One practical suggestion is to have a resource
2 Can read 3 word Can write sentences Can do simple room in every school, where appropriate remedial
sentences with three words or calculations
more (single digit)
education can be provided to those in need.8, 9
It was noticed that IQ scores obtained from ‘draw a
3 Can read with Can write with Can do two digit man’ test were comparable to those obtained from the
mistakes mistakes calculations
‘Seguin Form Board’ test. ‘Draw a man’ test is a simple

136 Indian Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 73—February, 2006

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Effectiveness of Individualized Education Program for Slow Learning Children
test that requires only a pencil and paper. The teacher can
identify children who need special attention from this test.
The usefulness of this test was shown in a study
conducted earlier in Kerala. 2 If the scores in the ‘draw a
man’ test are above 90 they can be sent for detailed
psychological assessment to rule out other causes of
scholastic backwardness like learning disorders or
emotional disorders. Children with scores between 70 and
90 can be given individualized education in the school
itself.
Ideally, a child with scholastic backwardness needs
detailed psychological and educational evaluation by a
team consisting of clinical psychologist, child psychiatrist,
special educator and other experts. Facilities for such a
detailed assessment are not available in majority of the
schools in developing countries. The present experiment
provides the model for a resource room that can be set up
in a normal school with minimum expenditure. The slow
learners identified by the class teacher can go to the
resource room for remedial education for fixed hours. The
resource room should have a special educator who should
be able to give appropriate education to the child, taking
into consideration his strengths and weaknesses. The
special educator can be a regular teacher with special
training or a person appointed for the purpose. The
expenditure for setting up the resource room can be met,
with the help of the parent teacher association of
individual schools.
Contributions
P. Krishnakumar designed the study, did the
psychological work up of children, collected the data and
wrote the first draft of the paper. He will act as the
guarantor for the paper.
MG. Geeta helped in designing the study, collection of
data and wrote the final draft of the paper
Indian Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 73—February, 2006
Ramakrishnan Palat organized the training program,
supervised the teaching and helped in writing the paper.
Funding Source: Nil
Conflicts of interest: None
Acknowledgement
We thank Mr. Mujeeb Rehman, Mr. Dineshkumar. P and
Ms.Swapna. NP (Special educators at the Prasanthi School for
children with special needs) who gave training to the children and
Prof. CP. Valsala and Mrs. Geetha Karunakar who did the final
evaluation.
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