Oct 18, 2009
The film ‘Taare Zameen Par’ might have for the first time created some responsiveness in public mind in India about dyslexia also known as Specific Learning Disorder. Apart from creating some awareness the movie could not do much to dispel the doubts and ignorance that still prevails in public mind about this learning disability. People still shy away from accepting to live with this disability. It is estimated that in India about 3 crore school going children suffering from dyslexia. It is however distressing to note that our country still lacks the basic criterion to identify these children and give them the required attention to enable them to come to terms with their disability. It is disheartening to note that the parents, the teachers or pediatricians are aware of the seriousness of the condition or problem of dyslexia thus leaving the children to fend for them and many of them suffer from, low self esteem, depression and suicidal tendencies.
Dyslexia is a type of learning disability and not a disease as is generally believed to be. It's a condition that one is born with, and it often runs in families. People with dyslexia are not stupid or lazy. Most have average or above-average intelligence and they work very hard to overcome their learning problems. Dr Elizabeth Daniel, Senior Associate Professor of Clinical Science Psychology at K M C, Mangalore, says “about 10 to 20 per cent children suffer from this learning disability. In a literate district like Dakshina Kannada also parents or teachers are not able to identify the disorder among the children or are ignorant about the disorder. Most of these children are intelligent but don’t do well in reading, writing or mathematics. Very often because of their intelligence parents term these children as lazy rather than realizing their child is suffering from the learning disorder”.
It is said that there are several kinds of disabilities and dyslexia is one of them. The term is used when people have difficulty learning to read, even though they are smart enough and are motivate to learn. As Dr Elizabeth Daniel says “these children may learn to spell the word correctly at home trying their best to remember by writing hundred times but may not be able to repeat it while writing the next day as their brain is not able to remember and reproduce it what they have learnt.
Dyslexia is not a disease and hence has no medical cure. It is a disorder that offers challenges which needs to be fought on a daily basis. Children suffering from this disorder are of average or above average intelligence. Counseling might be helpful only to the parents as they are required to understand their children’s disorder and respond humanely in dealing with them says Dr Daniel. Experts feel that since dyslexic children find it difficult to learn at the pace that is used in the normal classrooms the focus should be on providing individualized education depending on their specific needs at a slow pace. Dr Daniel feels “individualized educational programme (IEP) is the only solution that can help these children to cope with this disorder. Every school should have a specialized teacher trained to deal with such students which will go a long way in helping them to cope with their disorder”.
Of course there is some ray of for these children and present and future does not look as gloomy as it was a few years back. School authorities, the general public and the governments are slowly waking up to the needs of dyslexic students, a move that would go a long way in helping these children. In a major move Government of Karnataka, department of Public Instruction has allowed dyslexic candidates to drop mathematics and general science and take up optional subjects such as Indian Political Science, Indian Economics, Indian History, Hindustani or Carnatic Music. From the academic year 2009-10 the Secondary School Leaving (SSLC) examination marks cards of dyslexic candidates will recognize them as having Specific Learning Disability. It would be a great boon for the children as until now the marks cards of such students used to be marked as “Dyslexia/Spastic”.
These concessions have come as a great relief for children suffering from this disorder and their anxious parents. According to K S Gopalan, President of Malleswaram Dyslexia Association, Bangalore, who has been working tirelessly for these concessions, says “now the children can opt for arts subjects instead of science. Many parents are not aware of these concessions now available for dyslexic students. We want the education department to be more considerate and include Home Science also as an optional subject”.
The education department of Karnataka state had allowed many concessions to these students. In government recognized schools students suffering from this learning disability are allowed to use simple calculators during exams and the department has instructed evaluators to condone small and minor spelling mistakes. The pattern of examination is also changed for these students. While students of classes 1 and 2 can have only oral examination those in 3rd and 4th standard will have 75% oral assessment. In 5th, 6th and 7th they have to answer 50:50 oral and written exam while those in 8th and 9th will have 30:70 ratio of oral and written examination. But in 10th standard the students are required to answer written exam entirely.
The efforts of Gopalan and his association have done tremendous work in ensuring maximum concessions from the education department. Earlier it was required that a district surgeon certify the child suffers from dyslexia. With many district surgeons refusing to do so the association once again impressed upon the government to name a few certifying agencies. Now leading hospitals like NIMHANS, AIISH in Bangalore or any psychiatrist working in a government hospital, a clinical psychologist with a minimum M.Phil degree are authorized to issue these certificates. Students appearing for SSLC exam next year are required to submit original certificates on the first day of admission to class 9 along with application for the SSLC examination.
Dr Daniel feels the problem manifests in full when the child reaches 7 or eight years. When the child is in 3rd or 4th standard it is unable cope with the load of studies. The child with dyslexia can be identified if it is
weak in recognizing numbers, letters & words
has difficulty remembering numbers & letters in sequence
poor in manipulation of numbers & letters
Poor in spellings.
However, in order to suspect dyslexia, it is said that a cluster of symptoms must be evident and not just one symptom. The disorder can result in loss of self confidence, limited interaction and friendship, depression, and failure in school and career. However, these stages can be prevented by early diagnosis, special remedial measures and teaching of skills to cope with the disorder.
The disorder varies from person to person from mild to moderate and severe. It is said that the only common trait among people with dyslexia is that they read at levels significantly lower than typical for people of their age and intelligence. Experts believe that the disorder occurs in up to 15% of the general population. Though one has to live with the problem through out his life it is believed that the problem can be dealt with effectively to enable those having the disorder reach greater heights of glory. Those who suffer from this can take heart from the fact that famous personalities like Nelson Rockefeller, singer-actor Cher, Thomas Alva Edison, Walt Disney, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Woodrow Wilson etc., suffered from this order and have successfully overcome it to leave an indelible mark in their respective fields. If they can do so can others having similar learning disorder.
Prof Gopalan, who heads the Malleswaram Dyslexia Association is a retired Prof from St Josephs Bangalore and can be contacted on email id gopalan08@hotmail.com or 0091-80 23446058, 0091- 9341919101
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