Do you know that 4 out of 40 in one
classroom has Dyslexia?
Do you know that by the time they reach
5th or 6th, how syllabus can become a real time torture
for them?
Do you know there is a huge shortage of
Remedial teachers or teachers who know how to teach a dyslexic child?
Do you know that these kids are very
intelligent - average or above average, yet they struggle in academics?
Do you know that every family has one
child who is struggling with Dyslexia?
Do you know that these children are
only struggling because adults are not aware of a condition called Dyslexia?
Do you know how creative these kids are
or that they have some other area of super talent in themselves?
But no, his potential needs to be proved only in terms of
marks to the entire world who is judging him for what he is not able to do and
not on what he can and will do eventually.
Children
struggling with LD and LD due to ADHD has average or above average intelligence
and a highly creative brain, yet they struggle with basic reading and writing,
only because of their dyslexic brain.
Learning
difficulties in children starts showing by the time child starts reading and
writing and by the time kid is in 2nd std, the difficulty becomes quite visible
in form of grades and numbers dropping, teacher pointing out that kid is not
finishing up homework or CW, not able to score in math simple functions like +
and -, not able to read, answers orally, but not in written form in tests.
This
mainly happens because child is unable to join sounds of vowels and consonants
to make a word, which makes it difficult for him/her to form a word or a
sentence, which leads to poor comprehension.
Some kids
are good in math operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division also, but when it comes to word problems, the same reading difficulty
becomes the biggest hurdle to cross. When you read out the question they
will answer perfectly whether it be orally or solving the operations.
By the
time child is in 2nd std, parents as well as teachers will be aware that
something is not right, they may not exactly point out the difficulty, but will
definitely be aware that the kid needs support.
If the
hurdle is identified and worked upon at an early stage. Early
intervention has shown maximum improvement rate. 5-8 is the best age to
intervene and give proper support to bring the child back in par with others in
the class.
Late
identification reduces the % of improvement to some or significant
extent. But more importantly as the child grows up because of teacher or
parent not understanding the issue, develops a lot of behavioural as well as
other issues, which turns into aggression and frustration, as the time goes
forward resulting in a complete aversion to studies by the time kid is in 7 or
8th std.
The
improvement is also directly related to the severity of learning
difficulty. In severe cases, improvement can be achieved on to a certain
extent, but that is the time when the child should be given alternative options
for reading and writing, approach the school for accommodations for the
child. By the time kid is in 9th std, start asking info about
accommodations and modifications for board exam, so that the child is ready
with all approval for his/her board exam.
If the
kid is not able to grow out of his learning difficulty there is no point in
getting stuck there and make everyone’s life a hell including yours.
Start looking out for options and alternatives.
For eg.,
If your child is still struggling to read, but can write, use read-out loud
apps, text -to-speech options to read out the questions to him. Once the
question is read out to him, he will be able to answer orally or in writing.
If the
kid is struggling with both reading and writing, then look for same
text-to-speech and speech-to-text apps and prepare him to get comfortable with
him. Give him/her a basic computer or a laptop and make him savvy in
typing, so that he can write his board exams with the help of a laptop.
This is allowed for all boards. Use of calculators are allowed.
Exemptions of spelling mistakes can be availed. Alternatives are
available. Yes its all a big task for parents and since its all
government procedures, they all take a hell lot of time.
Opt for
other boards, if the regular boards are difficult for the child. Opt for
vocational courses which are equivalent to secondary and senior secondary level
and follow the same skill based courses to achieve graduation.
Teachers
and parents, the two important pillars for the child can only provide help and
support to the kid. If parent or teacher identifies that the kid needs
help, their acceptance becomes the first step for the child.
The only
worrisome fact in all this process is denial or ignorance or unawareness among
parents and teachers.
If a
parent and/or teacher out of ignorance or unawareness fails to understand or
accept the kid’s hurdle, all the doors get closed for the child. No one
can then ever reach out for the child to provide intervention.
There are
other issues also which pose difficulty but they all come into account only
after parent’s approval.
“Parent & Teacher’s acceptance and
understanding the most vital step for the child.“
By - Sini Biju Jose, Founder
Achievance Alternative Learning Space, Bengaluru
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