Access to Psychiatric Service in Students with Reading or Spelling Problems

บทคัดย่อ

Objectives : To report the rate of access to psychiatric service in elementary students with reading or spelling problems and related factors.
Methods : This was a retrospective descriptive study. Participants were students in Prathom 2-6 whose teachers referred to Ramathibodi hospital with reading and/or spelling
problems. The rate of access to psychiatric service and associated factors has been assessed from medical records and document recorded by special education teacher.
Results : There were 1,426 eligible students in 2 schools. Teachers referred 60 students with reading or spelling problems to the hospital and 4 students were excluded from
the study due to currently receiving psychiatric service or parent’s need to go to other hospital. So there were 56 students remained in this study. Male to female ratio was
3:1. Mean age was 9.9 years. (7.6-12.7 years). Access to psychiatric service group meaned group of students who complied the psychological test (IQ test, Achievement
test) and had at least one visit to see psychiatrist. Access to psychiatric service rate was 35.7% and 28.6% of referred students came to hospital to do the psychological test but did not meet psychiatrists. However, we did not find the association between access to psychiatric service and age, sex, year, grade points (GPAs), IQ scores, severity of reading, and spelling problems. The access to service students were diagnosed learning disorder with the rate of 90%.
Conclusion : The rate of access to psychiatric service in children with reading or spelling problems was 35.7%.