Publication: DNA
Date: November 28, 2007
Section/Page: Special report, Pg. 4

 

It is the schools that miss the mark

Certain learning disabilities among children are very common. Schools in developed countries have an inbuilt system to identify such students and offer them remedies such as appraisal and guidance of psychiatrists, allowing use of computers in exams. In Mumbai, the situation is not so encouraging.         
Team DNA finds out.

"A brief interaction with academicians in India indicated that there is a huge emphasis on exams and marks. That almost leaves the child in a do-or-die situation, be it an LD child or a normal child. I cannot think of a classroom with more than 30 children in the US, but here the numbers are mind boggling."
-Polly Bayrd, consultant, Learning Disability Clinic, USA

After adequate assessment, a child in UK is given "statement of need" that entitles the child to use a computer and other facilities. We never rush him to a hospital for some certificate that labels him as disabled. The child needs an educational psychologist more than a doctor."
-Lorraine Petersen, CEO. National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen)

"Behavioural problems in LD are not necessarily an indication of emotional disturbances but may be part of the neuro-developmental delays associated with the condition. Therefore positive emotional health may enhance the performance of children with LD."
-Dr Kersl Chavda, Psychiatrist, PD Hinduja Hospital

The lack of testing facilities, government measures and inertia on part of school authorities to report learning disabled (LD) students is leading to a wide gulf between the malady and its solution.

Admitting that the lone Learning Disability (LD) clinic at Sion Hospital in Mumbai cannot handle the testing of over six lakh school students for learning disabilities, Education Officer of SSC Board Basanti Roy stated that the government was keen on opening more testing centres, especially in the suburbs. Roy said this while addressing a two-day round-table on Learning Disability organised by Tata Learning Disability Forum (TLDF) at Grand Hyatt on Tuesday.

During a question-answer session that followed the discussion, Roy agreed to the proposal of moderating the answer papers of LD students in the SSC examination, even as she clarified that a similar practice was being extended to certified LD students and their papers marked in red ink as 'LD Child'. Commenting on extending the concessions to college-going certified LD students, she said it was the college's onus to provide the same to its students.

In fact, considering the reluctance of school principals in extending LD provisions to children, there is a dire need for a formal forum or panel where aggrieved parents can lodge their complaints or post their comments. Stating that the government has mandated that schools hold Parents Teachers Association meetings twice every year, Roy urged aggrieved parents, whose children are denied LD provisions by school, to lodge their complaints with their local civic ward education officer or the district education officer. In an effort to dispel the popular perception among some educationists and experts that the government has not done enough for the LD cause, Roy said quite contrarily the government had issued several guidelines to schools on LD since 2000, with the latest government resolution on September 2007 being the most comprehensive one outlining all the provisions and mandatory guidelines following a Bombay High Court judgment.

While addressing the gathering, Sion Hospital Dean Dr Madhuri Kulkarni clarified that it was wrong to classify LD as mental retardation. "In fact, LD is a common neuro-development disorder and is most likely to be familial, which can be taken care of with early diagnosis and intervention, thereby reducing emotional problems both for the child and the family," Kulkarni said.

Admitting to the abysmally few LD testing clinics in a metro like Mumbai, Kulkarni pointed out that government authorisation was compulsory for starting an organised LD assessment clinic. Pointing to the scarcity of trained special educators and counsellors to attend to the problem, Kulkarni pointed out that a multi-lingual society like ours does pose problems in developing LD testing in languages other than English.

Since learning disability condition manifests more in schools, the feedback from the school authorities was vital in diagnosing LD and taking adequate measures, pointed out Associate Professor of Paediatrics, Sion hospital, Dr Sunil Karande. He further added that every child with LD is different natured, with the condition varying from mild to moderate to severe. Moreover, it is not hereditary, he added.

Vineet Shetty, 21, is a success story in every sense of the term. He has fought learning disability and become a film director, making short and corporate films. Yet, he refuses to be photographed. "It may affect my clientele,' he says. "They may think I am dumb though I am not," he shrugs. His statement is a crude reminder of the fact that few in India separate learning disability from mental problem. "The stigma is there, though it has not affected me much," says Shetty, who dreams to be a full-fledged film director someday. Shetty was in Std I, when a teacher at the Arya Vidyamandir noticed that he was not paying enough attention to reading or writing. "I went to SNDT College for the test but things did not change much after that," he says. He maintains that his school as well as his family handled the situation extremely well. "Even my friends were very supportive throughout and never made me realise any weakness whatsoever," he adds.

He has availed of concessions but he is not very appreciative of the concept as such. "1 chose environmental science and commerce in place of science and mathematics," says Shetty. "But, my friends did not do well in these subjects, so I never took them as easy subjects." His friends labeled him as the lucky one who did not have to sit for the mathematics and science exams.

However, he is wary of the certification that parents have to acquire from Sion Hospital for availing concession. "Concessions can help only till one is in a school or a college," says Shetty. But, in the job market, where merit or expertise matters, the certificate or concessions will be of little help. Shetty strongly believes that optimism can make things better.

Special course for LD students

This school with about 20 LD children has a session of special educators, who evaluate and provide regular counselling

For Jagruti Shah, it was an uphill task to persuade her nine-year-old daughter to attend school. "She would scream and throw things around and refuse to go to school," recalls Jagruti.

Only later, she came to know that her child had borderline attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). "I had lost hope and was worried that she won't be able to attend a regular school," she said.

However, all this changed when her school, Gundecha Education Academy (GEA) at Kandivili, introduced a pilot-project called "Waterford Early Learning Programme" for primary school children. The interactive computer programme proved a blessing for the child and other children with learning disability such as dyslexia, AD/HD and dysgraphia.

"Children with learning disability (LD) have directional and phonetic problems. They are unable to recognise the difference between b and d, or 12 and 21. The Waterford programme is an interactive audio-visual medium, which helps such children develop their basic foundation," explained Seema Buch, principal, GEA. This school with about 20 children with LD has a separate session of these children with special educators, who evaluate them and provide regular counselling as, apart from early-detection, the child has to be taught in innovative ways. The Waterford programme has really brought about remarkable change in my daughter's studies," said Mahesh Trivedi, whose daughter Ratna is dyslexic.

Sonia Garg. Her 8-year-old daughter, after successful counselling and creative teaching technique, is back to her usual vivacious self." She has become computer-savvy thanks to the new programme. She is at par with her classmates and the children don't ridicule her anymore.” A year ago, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (lCSE) had allowed students with LD to use computers to write for their examination. "I usually take two-and-a-half hours to write my examination. But this year, I wrote my exam papers on computer and I finished it in only an hour. Writing had always been strenuous but typing on the keyboard is much easier," said Sagar Thakker, a class IX student.