| Learning disability in India | | | | individuals with learning disabilities struggle with peer |
| | | | | relationships and social interactions in addition to |
| By Sadaket Malik | | | | academic challenges. |
| | | | | |
| | | | | The good news is that during the past three decades, |
| | | | | RCI and Ministry of HRD, Ministry of Social Justice and |
| The past decade has witnessed a sudden spurt in the | | | | Empowerment Govt. of India with the help and |
| recognition of learning disabilities in India. This sensitivity | | | | intervention of countrys strong academic community |
| has benefited some children who have to cope with | | | | and specialists studied the instructional techniques, |
| the invisible learning disability. Besides the growing | | | | strategies and conditions that best enable students to |
| awareness there are still a number of misconceptions | | | | learn critical skills, especially in the area of reading. |
| that are associated with the term 'learning disabilities'. | | | | The first step in this strategy should |
| The reasons for these misconceptions are manifold | | | | be early detection, acceptance by parents and broad |
| learning disabilities are heterogeneous with different | | | | awareness among the academic community and |
| manifestations. | | | | above all a mature handling of the problem. At the |
| | | | | government level, there is a need to formulate a |
| The hard fact is that Learning Disability (LD) is real and | | | | constructive policy in this regard. To see that these |
| a stumbling block for a nations development process. | | | | steps are implemented, school vigilance and parental |
| The question is why and how it affects development? | | | | awareness is equally essential. |
| A person can be of average or above-average | | | | So my answer to above questions is that teachers |
| intelligence, without any sensory problems (like | | | | today are challenged (and charged) to find ways to |
| blindness or hearing impairment), and yet struggle to | | | | identify students who struggle and provide them (and |
| keep up with people of the same age in learning and | | | | their peers) with the very best instruction possible. That |
| regular functioning. | | | | is, teaching based on the highest quality research and |
| | | | | professional wisdom, and that takes into account not |
| In India around 13-14% of all school children suffer from | | | | just subject matter, but a student's rate of learning and |
| learning disorders. Unfortunately, most schools fail to | | | | his or her ability to achieve the highest standards |
| lend a sympathetic ear to their problems. As a result, | | | | possible within the general education curriculum. |
| these children are branded as failures. Samir Parikh, a | | | | Teachers also are challenged due to the lack of |
| child psychiatrist opines that dyslexia is not a disease, | | | | resources in schools. |
| but its a lifelong problem and presents challenges that | | | | |
| need to be overcome daily. He is however optimistic | | | | The best sources of assistance and the most |
| and argues that with proper diagnosis, appropriate | | | | promising pool of resources are to be found right there |
| education, hardwork and support from family, friends, | | | | in the school. General and special educators working |
| teachers and others, a dyslexic can lead a successful | | | | creatively, sharing ideas and strategies, tapping related |
| and productive life. | | | | services providers and others including |
| | | | | speech-language therapists, psychologists, and |
| According to the National Center for Learning | | | | occupational therapists, implementing |
| Disabilities, LD is a neurological disorder that affects the | | | | progress-monitoring activities and sharing responsibility |
| brain's ability to receive, process, store and respond to | | | | for needed adjustment in instruction. |
| information. The term learning disability is used to | | | | |
| describe the seeming unexplained difficulty a person of | | | | Despite the fact that Dyslexia is a known classroom |
| at least average intelligence has in acquiring basic | | | | disorder, it has not reached its optimum awareness |
| academic skills. These skills are essential for success | | | | levels in the schools in the country. Teachers either |
| at school and at workplace, and for coping with life in | | | | ignore the deficiency or blame it on the childs |
| general. LD is not a single disorder. It is a term that | | | | personality branding it as laziness, attitude or |
| refers to a group of disorders in listening, speaking, | | | | aggression. The child continues to graduate from one |
| reading, writing, and mathematics. The other features | | | | class to the other totally inept at handling the pressure |
| of LD are: (a) a distinct gap between the level of | | | | of the higher classes. This leads to behavioral |
| achievement that is expected and what is actually | | | | problems. |
| being achieved (b) difficulties that can become | | | | |
| apparent in different ways with different people (c) | | | | Interestingly, Orkids facilitates early intervention in the |
| difficulties with socio-emotional skills and behavior. | | | | childs academic life so that he/she learns the |
| However, Specific reading | | | | strategies and skills necessary to cope with it better |
| disabilities, in children and adults, have been classified as | | | | and in some cases, overcome it altogether. Early |
| 'dyslexia' or 'developmental dyslexia' or even 'specific | | | | intervention reduces incidence of extreme steps such |
| developmental dyslexia'. These terms are in use | | | | as repetition of a class or even expulsion, which, |
| interchangeably with LD. The identification and | | | | needless to say, could have an adverse effect on the |
| description of LD began in the western world in the | | | | childs self-esteem and leave an indelible scar on their |
| 1950s and 60s. The major developments of the LD | | | | psyche. Children with special needs have a right to be |
| movement during this period centered on children, who | | | | relaxed and confident about them and we must, as |
| appeared normal in many intellectual skills but displayed | | | | responsible adults, try our best to help them remain |
| a variety of cognitive limitations that seemed to | | | | that way. |
| interfere with their ability to read, write and learn in the | | | | |
| classroom. These were essentially deficient general | | | | Nevertheless, there are several agencies in |
| learning processes centering mostly on what we | | | | government and non government sector working in |
| today call distractibility, hyperactivity and | | | | the field and contributing for elimination rather detection |
| visual-perceptual and perceptual-motor problems. | | | | of this classroom disorder. ORKIDS institute of higher |
| The LD movement in India is | | | | learning New Delhi is the brainchild of Ms. Geet Oberoi |
| of a recent origin and is today comparable with that of | | | | who has 15 years of experience in Special Education. |
| its Western counterpart. Reports of lower incidences | | | | She opened her first center in Kalkaji, New Delhi in the |
| of LD in the Eastern world were attributed by western | | | | year 2000. The fabulous response it brought from |
| scholars to the general lack of awareness and | | | | parents and students alike has spurred her on to open |
| sensitivity among educationists to the specific | | | | the second and third branch in GK II and DLF |
| difficulties faced by children learning to read in | | | | respectively. |
| overcrowded classrooms. | | | | |
| | | | | The ORKIDS Multidisciplinary |
| The Nalanda Institute report | | | | clinics is intended to provide remedial services to |
| has highlighted that in India during the last two-decade | | | | children with special needs. Classroom situations |
| or so, there has been an increasing awareness and | | | | present various forms and degrees of difficulties and |
| identification of children with LD. Despite this growing | | | | problems relating to phonetics, comprehension, general |
| interest India still does not have a clear idea about the | | | | study skill, computation, speech and language |
| incidence and prevalence of LD. Unfortunately, | | | | development and visual perception skills. These areas |
| epidemiological studies of LD are fraught with | | | | require special care and individual strategy and skills. |
| difficulties ranging from the very definition of LD, | | | | |
| identification, assessment, to socio-cultural factors | | | | In India, SAMVEDA Research and Training Centre |
| unique to India. | | | | kolkatta, the brainchild of Surendranath P. Nishanimut, |
| What should then be the future | | | | an young entrepreneur turned "Special Educational |
| strategy to cope and overcome the problem of | | | | Needs (SEN)" enthusiast, is another such responsible |
| dyslexia? What are some of the biggest challenges | | | | effort in rehabilitating children with learning disability in |
| facing classroom teachers of learning disabled | | | | India. |
| children? More districts and states are implementing a | | | | Furthermore, The Tata interactive learning disability |
| policy of inclusion for children who before might have | | | | forum 2008 held in Mumbai on the 29th November |
| been in separate classes. What assistance or | | | | 2008 and in Kolkata on the 2nd December 2008 |
| resources do you have for teachers who are working | | | | focuses on urgent need to address Learning Disability |
| with children with so many different ability levels? | | | | (LD) issues. Focusing on the theme of Special Deeds |
| | | | | for Special Needs, the TLDF 2008 underlined the |
| Ironically, policy related to Learning Disability is yet to | | | | importance of early remedial action to help learners |
| see the daylight. In absence of such a policy and | | | | with special needs. |
| incongruous environment, children with LD cannot be | | | | The Nation's commitment towards achieving the goal |
| rehabilitated in regular schools. Though isolating such | | | | 'education for all remains unfulfilled and will remain so if |
| children from regular schools for training at Special | | | | educational opportunities is not extended to all |
| Schools is not a good precedent, it is the best available | | | | school-going children including children with LD. More |
| option in the prevailing conditions and inevitable too. | | | | attention to these children by extending support to |
| Learning disabilities can | | | | institutions and schools that help children with LD will |
| affect a person's ability in the areas of listening, | | | | certainly improve the scene. There are institutions |
| speaking, reading writing, and mathematics and is often | | | | which have trained personnel who could help assess |
| first suspected when there is a clear and unexplained | | | | the extent of damage and treat these children |
| gap between an individual's level of expected and | | | | accordingly. Govt. of India should envisage a national |
| actual levels of achievement. Learning disabilities also | | | | debate on the rehabilitation issue of learning disabled |
| can encompass problems in the area of | | | | children in the classroom. |
| social-emotional skills and behavior, and some | | | | |