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

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 Mumbairsquos most prestigious schools Everything was expected to sail smoothly for the vivacious young girl except it didnrsquot ldquoMy daughter started struggling in school around the time she was in Grade 5 Her health started failing as anxiety took a tollrdquo Dr Godrej shared with a packed house at the recentlyconcluded Asia Africa Regional Conference on Understanding Dyslexia organised by the Maharashtra Dyslexia Association MDA in MumbaiDr Pheroza GodrejldquoOur 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 curriculumrdquo she recalledThings 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 personrsquos 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 ldquohidden disabilityrdquo 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children with an SLD certification can avail of legal rights and educational accommodationsYet there are miles to go Outdated diagnostic criteria lack of implementation of existing inclusive policies and lack of indigenous testing tools remain areas of concern While debates on how to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 ldquoIn the late rsquo80s 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 notrdquo says Kate Currawalla founderpresident of MDAldquoDonrsquot wait for the diagnosis to start interventionrdquo then seems to be the consensus ldquoParents 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 approachrdquo explains Dr Henal Shah Professor Additional Department of Psychiatry Nair Hospital The earlier atrisk children are identified the better it is for their academic progress and their psychological wellbeing too ldquoThe anxiety the panic and the behavioural problems in educational setups because children canrsquot cope with their peers are much worse to handle than dyslexia itselfrdquo believes Dr GodrejDr Geet Oberoi of Orkids Foundation an NGO in Delhi that helps children with special needs reiterates the need for early screening ldquoWe 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 childrsquos academic and behavioural historyrdquo Though necessary one doesnrsquot 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 ldquoAfter all intervention is never wasted It will only take the child towards progress dyslexia or notrdquoUnlike spoken language reading doesnrsquot come naturally to human beings explains Masarrat Khan director Programmes and Training at MDA ldquoAlmost 3040 per cent of children including those without learning disabilities struggle with picking up ageappropriate literacy in schools This is why it is important to introduce evidencebased inclusive practices in mainstream schoolsrdquo she asserts ldquoMultisensory structured literacy which goes beyond phonics to explicitly teach blending reading and spelling rules benefits everyone including those with dyslexia We donrsquot have to wait for our children to fail We donrsquot have to wait for a diagnosis to start teaching effectivelyrdquoInclusive teaching is the way forwardTraining mainstream school teachers in inclusive practices is the way ahead believes Masarrat Khan director Programmes and Training at MDA She hopes that the fouryear Integrated Teacher Education Programme envisaged by NEP 2020 addresses this issueRepresentational picistockWhile 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 ldquoSchools and colleges should create a pool of dedicated professionals and send them for RCIregistered courses That way we can churn out special educators who are truly passionate about their workrdquo says Sandeep Tambe deputy director RCIDr 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 ldquoThe delayed CET results the misconception that special educators donrsquot 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 liferdquolsquoSee us for our strengthsrsquoWhile society inches its way towards true inclusion assistive technology and AI have come to the rescue of many individuals with dyslexia ldquoI struggled in school but dyslexia no longer comes in the way of my professional life Technology like speechtotext and other apps have made our lives easyrdquo Yash Sirohi an organisational psychologist and a former student of MDA saysA still from the film Taare Zameen Par which increased SLD awarenessWith LinkedIn recognising lsquodyslexic thinkingrsquo as a vital skill in workplaces individuals with dyslexia like entrepreneur Kabir Bhogilal hope they are appreciated for their unique talents not their challenges ldquoCompanies 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 Thatrsquos the way forwardrdquo15Supreme Courtrecommended ratio of special educator to the no of children they can teach