ABSTRACT
To diagnose Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in India, only ‘NIMHANS Specific Learning Disability Battery (NSB)’ is accepted for assessment and certification of disability. Earlier editions of the NSB used ‘functioning at three standards below the current class of the child’ to arrive at a diagnosis of SLD, and was simple to administer and interpret. Given these, majority of psychologists used it in their routine assessments, and in most of the cases, it was relatively easy to diagnose SLD with this battery. A major limitation faced when using the NSB was that it had test items only till the 7th grade. In the updated NSB, there are test items till the 10th grade, which is definitely a big upgrade. However, as the battery is relatively concise and does not clearly describe the nuances of assessment and interpretation in marginal and complex scenarios, some young psychologists and research scholars might find it difficult to diagnose SLD. Some of these scenarios are, when the child shows problems in academics but does not exactly fulfil the NSB criteria; when the child is having problems with second language instead of the first language; when the child is from an international curriculum; when the child is studying in a class higher than grade 10; when comprehension appears to be impaired; and/or the issue of whether or not to have so many subtypes of SLD. This article highlights some of these issues, discusses and attempts to provide possible solutions with respect to assessment and interpretation.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Present study aimed to evaluates the cognitive status among dependent patients and effect of abstinence from alcohol for one month. Materials and methods: Study included 50 alcohol dependent male inpatients and a similar number of age and education matched controls. Specially designed semi-structured proforma was used to collect demographical data. Cognitive functions were evaluated by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh Battery of Brain dysfunction (PGI-BBD). Assessment by similar method was done in both cases (at baseline and 1 month after abstinence/treatment) and controls. Data was analyzed by SPSS ver. 21.0. Results: Significant cognitive dysfunction was seen in all domains among alcoholics as compared to controls (p<0.05). Post-treatment/ abstinence improvement was seen in all domains except recent memory, mental balance, immediate and delayed recall, retention for similar and dissimilar pairs. Performance quotient impairment was seen in 40 (80%), 18 (36%) and 12 (24%) in pre-treatment, post-treatment and control group respectively. Further PQ evaluation revealed that mean scores of 69.54, 82.82 and 91.08 (p<0.05; all groups). Increase in years of consuming alcohol of study group is associated with more cognitive impairment in memory and intelligence. Conclusion: Present study had validated the assumption that there is significant cognitive impairment among alcohol dependent cases. These deficits can be detected with formal neuropsychological assessment Awareness of alcohol’s effects on cognition can help health-care providers in addressing the problem and instituting appropriate treatment.