Inclusivity needn’t wait for testing: Why supporting children with learning disabilities should start early

Representational Image

Dr Pheroza Godrej, art historian, curator, environmentalist, writer, remembers the year 1989 rather vividly. Her daughter had followed family tradition and was studying in one of Mumbai's most prestigious schools. Everything was expected to sail smoothly for the vivacious young girl, except it didn't. "My daughter started struggling in school around the time she was in Grade 5. Her health started failing as anxiety took a toll," Dr Godrej shared with a packed house at the recently-concluded Asia Africa Regional Conference on Understanding Dyslexia organised by the Maharashtra Dyslexia Association (MDA) in Mumbai.

Dr Pheroza Godrej

"Our family physician advised us to change her school. It worked. My daughter had a learning disability, which luckily, her new school recognised. It was almost unheard of in those days. I have a BEd degree, but learning disabilities were not mentioned in our curriculum," she recalled.

Things have indeed come a long way since parents like Dr Godrej grappled with the unknown, unexpected difficulty that their otherwise capable children seemed to encounter in academics. Dyslexia, the most common specific learning disability (SLD), that affects a person's ability to read, write and spell accurately, is now better understood not only among professionals, but among the public too. Awareness has grown, especially after the film Taare Zameen Par (2007) shed light on this "hidden disability". In 2016, the Rights of Persons with Disability Act officially recognised SLD as a disability, and children with an SLD certification can avail of legal rights and educational accommodations.

Yet, there are miles to go. Outdated diagnostic criteria, lack of implementation of existing inclusive policies, and lack of indigenous testing tools remain areas of concern. While debates on how to fix these problems continue, experts are unanimous in underlining the need for early intervention for children with dyslexia. "In the late '80s, my son was facing reading difficulties in school. Though no one knew of dyslexia, his teachers and principal created an environment of support and encouragement. We need to make sure every teacher understands this condition. Our systems need to be sensitive enough to the needs of the child, whether they have a diagnosis or not," says Kate Currawalla, founder-president of MDA.

"Don't wait for the diagnosis to start intervention", then, seems to be the consensus. "Parents and teachers generally send children to us for testing and certification only in Grade 8 and 9 to get educational accommodations which is, of course, necessary. But early screening helps understand the strengths and challenges of children so that they can be helped with the right remediation and intervention. That should be the approach," explains Dr Henal Shah, Professor (Additional), Department of Psychiatry, Nair Hospital. The earlier at-risk children are identified, the better it is for their academic progress and their psychological well-being too. "The anxiety, the panic, and the behavioural problems in educational set-ups because children can't cope with their peers are much worse to handle than dyslexia itself," believes Dr Godrej.

Dr Geet Oberoi of Orkids Foundation, an NGO in Delhi that helps children with special needs, reiterates the need for early screening. "We have developed a First Screen App, a multilingual screening tool for SLD for children aged four to 18 years. It is a comprehensive checklist of signs and symptoms to be completed by a parent, teacher, or any adult familiar with the child's academic and behavioural history." Though necessary, one doesn't have to wait for diagnosis, she believes. In a country estimated to have 35 million children with SLD, the cost of waiting can be a lot. "After all, intervention is never wasted. It will only take the child towards progress, dyslexia or not."

Unlike spoken language, reading doesn't come naturally to human beings, explains Masarrat Khan, director (Programmes and Training) at MDA. "Almost 30-40 per cent of children, including those without learning disabilities, struggle with picking up age-appropriate literacy in schools. This is why it is important to introduce evidence-based, inclusive practices in mainstream schools," she asserts. "Multisensory, structured literacy, which goes beyond phonics to explicitly teach blending, reading and spelling rules benefits everyone, including those with dyslexia. We don't have to wait for our children to fail. We don't have to wait for a diagnosis to start teaching effectively."

Inclusive teaching is the way forward

Training mainstream school teachers in inclusive practices is the way ahead, believes Masarrat Khan, director (Programmes and Training) at MDA. She hopes that the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme, envisaged by NEP 2020, addresses this issue.

Representational pic/istock

While the demand for intervention is big, the shortage of special educators continues to be a thorny issue. The Supreme Court recommends one special educator for every five special needs children. The reality, however, is very different. The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) admits low admission rates in special education courses is a problem. "Schools and colleges should create a pool of dedicated professionals and send them for RCI-registered courses. That way we can churn out special educators who are truly passionate about their work," says Sandeep Tambe, deputy director, RCI.

Dr Sujata Bhan, former head of Dept of Special Education at SNDT University, has been trying to put her finger on the dwindling number of candidates for special education courses. "The delayed CET results, the misconception that special educators don't get paid well, the lack of exposure to this career and inclusive spaces in our fragmented society could be some of the reasons. We need to build more awareness about this walk of life."

‘See us for our strengths'

While society inches its way towards true inclusion, assistive technology and AI have come to the rescue of many individuals with dyslexia. "I struggled in school, but dyslexia no longer comes in the way of my professional life. Technology, like speech-to-text and other apps, have made our lives easy," Yash Sirohi, an organisational psychologist and a former student of MDA, says.

A still from the film Taare Zameen Par, which increased SLD awareness

With LinkedIn recognising ‘dyslexic thinking' as a vital skill in workplaces, individuals with dyslexia, like entrepreneur Kabir Bhogilal, hope they are appreciated for their unique talents, not their challenges. "Companies and organisations need to see people with dyslexia for their strengths, their ability to bring their unique abilities to the table rather than their scores in exams. At the same time, individuals with dyslexia should make use of technology, accommodations, and not shy away from asking for help. That's the way forward."

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Supreme Court-recommended ratio of special educator to the no. of children they can teach