Role of Government in helping kids with Learning Disabilit

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill
The Lok Sabha passed "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill - 2016". The Bill replaced the existing PwD Act, 1995, which was enacted 21 years back.
1. Disability has been defined based on an evolving and dynamic concept.
2.The types of disabilities have been increased from existing 7 to 21 and the Central Government will have the power to add more types of disabilities.
Speech and Language Disability and Specific Learning Disability have been added for the first time.
At School Level:
Schools affiliated to Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations in the country will have to detect learning disabilities among their students and take suitable pedagogical and other measures to overcome them.
Bombay high court had in May directed schools to screen children for learning disabilities (LD) from age nine, while they are still in primary school. The order was to ensure detection of specific learning disabilities at the earliest to enable parents and teachers to take remedial steps. The HC order came on a PIL filed by city psychiatrist, Dr Harish Shetty. Mentioning the HC order in its circular to schools, CISCE said all schools were requested to abide by the Right of Persons with Disability Act, 2016.
The council has, apart from infrastructure needs and detection, told its schools to provide support to maximize academic and social development to achieve inclusion, monitor participation and progress in the classrooms and provide equal opportunities for sports and recreation of students with disabilities.
The council has, apart from infrastructure needs and detection, told its schools to provide support to maximize academic and social development to achieve inclusion, monitor participation and progress in the classrooms and provide equal opportunities for sports and recreation of students with disabilities.

Following article published in Times of India dates 26th June 2018, throws light on Government rules and challenges faced by the students.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/is-learning-disability-part-of-quota-for-mbbs/articleshow/64755278.cms

Despite all the rules and regulations , the onus lies on the parents and school teachers to identify and help the children with learning disabilities.

Shadow Teacher

Role of School Teachers in Identifying Learning Disability

A good teacher can inspire HOPE, ignite the IMAGINATION and instill a  LOVE of LEARNING.

Nai Talim is a principle which states that knowledge and work are not separate. Father of nation, Mahatma Gandhi promoted an educational curriculum with the same name based on this pedagogical principle. A school, where kids are not bound in classrooms, not bound by a curriculum where, “passing” is mandatory, where grades do not matter; what matters is making the child think, let his/her thoughts get direction , creativity flows freely and true education takes place. Here the classroom facilitates real learning. Here the teachers get an opportunity to let the child explore his/her true potential and role of the teachers is to mould that tremendous energy into a responsible and talented individual.

Sounds unreal? Not actually. But we cannot deny the fact that schools these days have lost that sheen and have made teaching –learning process marks or grade based system. Students who score more are given more attention and those who fail to do so are often neglected. Nothing wrong per say, its basic human nature, to bring out the best of the best. But what about those who lack behind? Are they dumb? Can they achieve nothing?

Probably schools fail to identify the problem of the kids who do not perform as per the established norms. The kids who can’t cope up with the rest of the class might be having some issues; physical (eyesight, hearing difficulty, speech or any particular disease), psychological (anxiety, depression, learning disability or family environment), behavioral (lack of attention, anger, perception). It is easier to identify physical issues, but its needs experience and expertise in identifying issues like learning disability. Brains operate differently. Learning occurs in different manners. The teacher must be able to determine if a child is exhibiting an alternate learning pattern or if the child has a learning problem. If the teacher suspect there is a learning problem then it is necessary to seek assistance from the experts.

Meanwhile to make sure that he child is facing some difficulty; the teacher can make few changes in the classroom to ease the child. The child can be made to sit closer to the teacher and can be given more attention while teaching.

Once the teacher identifies the child who is facing problems in learning, he/she can try to understand the NATURE OF THE PROBLEM. The teacher at the same time should intimate the parents and explain to them, the difficulties faced by the child. This will help the teacher in gaining confidence of the parents and at the same time it will act as a support for the child.

The teacher then can take help of the school counselor and assess the gravity of the problem. Unfortunately many schools do not have a counselor on campus or even if they do, it’s only on paper.  School counselors are important not only from the point of identifying slow learners or kids with learning difficulties but also to tackle the issues like exam pressure, peer pressure, bullying, diet issues, behavioral problems, etc.

Secondly the good teacher will make it a point to not let other kids make fun of the child having learning issues. It is really important to keep the motivation level high of the kids. They should not feel alone or left out; this feeling of “being different” can leave a mark on their self esteem. The teacher has to have patience and make sure that the child is not developing a dislike towards a particular subject or school.

Making statements like, “ You are good for nothing”, “ You can do nothing in your life”, “ Your parents have not taught you properly”, “ You are acting so as to get excused from class work”, “ You are dumb, you cannot get decent marks in test” will demoralize the child and it leave create a huge dent on self esteem.

School teachers spend almost 6-7 hours with the child and hence it is very important that proper training if given to teachers to identify kids with learning difficulties. Even if training is not provided, following things can be the first step towards helping the child.

Teachers can make some observations by noting down specific points such as difficulty in reading, writing, listening, Maths, not able to hear or visualize in her/his diary. Observations with respect to behavior of other kids, their test scores, actions directed at other kids can be made. They can also make log entries.

Logging a child’s behavior for two weeks should be sufficient. The teacher on her own can try some interventional methods to teach the child. The log entry should also include the intervention that the teacher used to modify the child’s behavior. The log can be an added burden on a teacher’s time but it is a strongly recommended procedure to follow if the teacher suspects a child has a learning problem.

Other important point is the school itself; whether the school has a formal system of identifying kids with learning disability and offering remedial coaching to them. Many schools are still unaware about the seriousness of the problem and follow the age old method of assessing the child. This can damage the chances of the kid having a normal life and career.

In the end, we can say that role of school and the teachers is crucial in not only identifying kids with learning disability but also in making the child a part of the society. It is the school where the child learns to be a part of bigger family and develop his/her personality. It is the teacher has the magic to turn tears into smiles, to turn failures into successes, to turn DISABILITY into ABILITY.

We all remember that one teacher who could actually understand our problem and helped us in developing the interest in the subject we disliked the most. That one teacher changed our lives forever; that teacher made us what we are today.

Because sometimes what you need is someone who simply takes you as you are!

Parents of Kids who have Learning Disability

“When you have your kids, you will understand what it means to be a parent”.

A common phrase you get to hear when you as a kid used to oppose your parent’s views or do not understand their point of view.

Parenthood is a wonderful phase, where you not only give birth to a life, but it’s also a rebirth for parents.  

If it is difficult to be a parent, it is even more difficult to be a parent of a child with special needs. As a parent we all try to give our 100% while raising our kids.  When we all agree that parenthood is not a smooth sailing, we sure agree that being parents to kids with learning disability requires acceptance, more patience, more courage and unconditional love. When we talk about kids with learning needs, parents have to give 200%.

Kids with Learning difficulties and Education system

We all remember the important milestones in our kid’s life, first word, first step, first day of the school of our child and we wait with waited breaths for the FIRST RESULT. The education system in India has made us MRAKS crazy. Marks matter the most and so does the teachers remarks. What is lost in all this is the child who is probably struggling to read, remember or even recognize. Identifying kids with Learning disability is the first step towards their better future, making learning easier for them.

It is very painful for parents to accept the fact that “something is wrong”; be it problems in vocalizing, playing with sounds, and learning to speak.  Parents feel that some kids are late talkers, some stutter, stammer or lisper and hence ignore the early symptoms of learning disabilities.

Second mistake that is often committed is at schools, the teachers who are not properly trained to identify the symptoms simply feel that the inability of the child to catch up with the things taught in classroom is due to his/her hyperactive nature, lack of concentration or poor memory or parents laid back attitude.

What to expect when your child is diagnosed with a Learning Disability?

Anger, Fear, Frustration, Guilt, Helplessness, Depression and Denial and other wide range of negative emotions is what parents go through when their child is having a learning disability.

Parents often feel guilty because they feel their child’s learning disabilities are somehow their fault. But, that is not true. Parents may tend to feel that if they had been stricter, demanded more, forced more practice, it would have changed the situation. That would not have changed the situation.

So first thing that a parent needs to do is ACCEPT, accepting the reality will make it easier for the parents as well as the kid to go ahead with the remedial coaching and treatment. Recognizing the fact will help in controlling your negative emotions and at the same time will pave way for further course of action i.e. treatment.

Second is to UNDERSTAND the nature of the disability- get it tested and confirmed from a psychologist. This will help you in knowing the exact problems faced by the kid and helping the kid in his/her efforts to learn and study. Further it will ease out your helplessness. It is rightly said that once you know the who is your enemy, half the battle is won. The feeling of “Something is wrong” will go and as you know now what is wrong; that “Something” will be crystal clear in front of you.

Further it is important to inform the school and teachers about the condition of the child so that appropriate steps can be taken to teach the child. The teacher’s role is also extremely important for a learning disabled child as it is the teacher who can instill confidence and develop interest in learning process.

Third is to SUPPORT and ENCOURAGE the child in the learning process. The child who is labeled as “dumb”, “inattentive”, “hyper”, “different” has developed a low self esteem. Every other look towards him/her makes the child feel insecure and it is here that the encouragement and support from parents plays a pivotal role. The child will look up to you for knowing if he/she is doing well. And therefore the parents’ verbal and non verbal language should be motivating.

Finally the parents need to have POSITIVE ATTITUDE and NEVER GIVE UP during the process. Teaching children with learning disability requires patience as the child will learn at his/her own pace. The parent’s frustration will demotivate the child and will create a depressing environment at home.

The parents need to make sure that the child’s study area is made interesting with help of colorful charts, interactive audio visual aids and above all parent’s presence during study time. Developing individualized plan for them, caring for them, being there for them is what parents need to do.

Your kids will change their disability into their ability ,with you by their side.

Learning Disability, Slow Learners, ADHD and Autism

Many people “label” their children as Hyperactive, Irritable, slow in learning, having attention deficit based on their perception and little knowledge about the actual term. It’s like saying, “I have flu” if one is suffering from cough, cold and fever. The so called diagnosis that you do can land you in a hospital due to wrong self medication. Similarly, if you do not identify the child’s issue correctly and timely, it may affect the child for a lifetime.

So, let us differentiate between these four terms- Learning Disability, Slow Learners, ADHD and Autism.

  

       1. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

This is a mental disorder of the neurodevelopmental type. The characteristics of ADHD are:

Many a times, people diagnosed with ADHD have learning disabilities. They are not able to adjust in the society if they are not given appropriate treatment and counseling. According to few studies, students with ADHD might show hyperactive/fidgety behaviors, inattention/distractibility problems, and/or impulsivity. These behaviors, present for years, can be seen at school, at home, and with peers. Students with Learning Disorders have a neurologically-based processing problem that interferes with the ability to master specific learning skills. Between 30 and 50 percent of children with LD will also have ADHD. The reverse is also true; between 30 and 50 percent of children with ADHD will also have LD.

Therefore the parents should consult the doctor, psychologist to look for both possibilities. The sooner the problem is identified, the faster the remedial coaching can begin.

2   2.  Autism

Autism is a developmental disorder and the signs can be identified in two or three years of a child’s life. The developmental milestones are therefore an important marker for identification. The characteristics of Autism are:

             

For kids with autism, the main struggle involves social understanding, communication and repetitive routines or behaviors—including narrow and obsessive interests.

These symptoms are not typical of kids with learning and attention issues. The narrow interests and repetitive behavior also helps in differentiating autism from non verbal learning disability, which can otherwise look a lot like autism.

Like kids with autism, kids with learning and attention issues may struggle with social skills and communication. But those struggles are related to their specific learning issues.

For instance, a child with visual processing issues (a type of Learning Disability) may stand too close to someone during conversation because he has trouble judging distances. A child with autism might stand too close because he has a poor sense of personal space.

3   3. Slow Learners

A slow learner is a child of below average intelligence, whose thinking skills have developed significantly more slowly than the norm for his/her age. This child will go through the same basic developmental stages as other children, but will do so at a significantly slower rate. However, this development, while being slower, nevertheless be relatively even. There are children who are slow learners who also have specific learning disabilities. The characteristics of slow learners are:

     4.  Learning Disability

A child with specific learning disability is one of average or above average intelligence who has specific difficulties which can make learning very difficult. There may be deficits in any of the basic central nervous system functions, which have to do with the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities i.e. attention, memory, language, auditory and visual perception, motor coordination and planning, spatial orientation, impulse control and sequencing. In short, if there is a discrepancy between the children’s potential and actual achievement.

The characteristics of children with learning disability are:

Now we have seen that the characteristics of these four problems. These conditions can co-exist and the symptoms may seem overlapping at times, but these four issues are different from each other and hence it is very important for a parent to get the child tested before jumping to conclusions.

Note: The opinions expressed in this article are of the author and are not to be taken as diagnostic or remedial. The parents are advised to consult their doctor or psychologist and take help from school teachers while attempting to resolve the issues of the child.

Learning Needs

Learning Needs by Muktaideb on Scribd