MedEdPublish (Jul 2018)
Learning Disabilities and Medical Students
Abstract
Background: Learning disabilities (LD) are a mixed group of disorders exhibited by substantial difficulties in the achievement and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical skills. Objective: The objective of this paper is to highlight different learning disabilities and their effects on medical students and suggest the best assessment strategy for such students. Methods: The medical education literature was searched for articles related to learning disabilities and how they effect medical students. Results and Conclusion: Learning disability constitutes to be challenging for the student as well as the faculty because apparently, there is no disability to be seen. It is difficult to diagnose and sometimes it remains unidentified till late adulthood when the compensatory mechanisms crash down leaving the student in despair and low self-confidence. The identification of such a disorder requires appropriate personnel to diagnose such condition which are currently not available in the medical schools. Literature shows that multiple choice questions (MCQs) are the best method of choice in assessment of students with learning disability as it does not discriminate between students with and without LD.
