Experts share ways to accept and deal with dyslexia

Recently, cricket legend Kapil Dev revealed how he struggled with dyslexia as a child, and took to sports to escape studies. Experts suggest how parents and teachers should sensitively accept the condition and help children negotiate it

It’s been 14 years since Taare Zameen Par released where we saw the tormented life of a child with dyslexia at home and school. Two years ago, a reputed school in Mumbai refused to let a student with dyslexia appear for his board exam because it would affect the school’s ‘academic record.’ Not letting that come in the way of his son’s academics, his father, Swapneel Zaveri enrolled him at National Open School. The child secured 71 per cent in the board exam. “I was disappointed with the school’s attitude. Can you imagine the trauma it puts the child and the family to have the plug pulled at the last minute?” he asks.

Zaveri admits he and his wife were in denial when they first learnt of their son’s learning disorder through a school counsellor in grade six. “No parent likes to accept that there is a problem with their child,” he says. A year later, when he observed both his children play, he acknowledged there was a challenge with his reading and writing. After attending a session by Dr Pulkit Kaushal at Nair Hospital in the company of several other parents like him, he comprehended that his child was dyslexic. Zaveri’s son was observed for over a year at Nair hospital. An IQ test later, he was recommended remedial classes at New Horizons Child Development Centre.

Recently, former cricket legend Kapil Dev opened up about dyslexia, a condition which drew him towards cricket because it would spare him from the trauma of studies. Dr Barkha Chawla, developmental paediatrician, New Horizons Child Development Centre, explains it in layman’s terms, “Dyslexia refers to difficulty with reading that includes difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor spelling and deficits in coding abilities. People with dyslexia find it tough to connect  letters they see on a page with the sounds they make. They have normal intelligence, and their difficulties are not related to hearing and vision problems. The cause can be linked to genes that affect the process of reading and writing in the brain. It is thought to be caused by impairment in the brain’s network to process phonemes (the smallest units of speech that make words different from each other) and that is what makes reading and writing difficult. There is a high incidence noted when either the parent or sibling has dyslexia.”

Kapil Dev. Pic/Atul Kamble

Smitha Nair, special educator, evaluator and trustee at Ira Gurukul educational trust and inclusive centre of education, a multidisciplinary centre in Mumbai and Thane, adds, “Since children with dyslexia have difficulty in reading, processing words and numbers they have difficulty in comprehension and development of vocabulary. Signs of dyslexia emerge when the child attends school, where a teacher may be the first to notice it. While it is a lifelong disability, the symptoms get better as the brain gets trained.” Her centre has been working with children with learning difficulties, developmental disorders, autism and other behavioural difficulties.

Dyslexia can be picked up in early childhood; yet there is a high chance it could be diagnosed late, like in the case of Zaveri’s son. “We may miss the opportunity of intervening early,” says Dr Chawla who believes that there has been a substantial rise in cases noted because there is greater awareness of learning disorders. “The first step for parents and teachers when they note any academic concerns is to visit a developmental paediatrician and address the issues. It is essential for the parents and teachers to understand that the child has a neurological disorder that does improve with dynamic individualised holistic measures,” she advises.

Dyslexia and ADHD

Thane resident Karishma Dang-Pradhan’s daughter is in grade six and has been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, after six months of remedial classes of reacquainting with the alphabet. At her school, there is a panel of experts working with students with learning disabilities. “In dyslexia, if you listen to a concept, you may understand it but if you read it, you may not understand the same concept. In her exams, we have to read out the questions to her; else she would never be able to finish her exams in the stipulated time. However, later, we would have to get her condition evaluated officially at Nair Hospital to avail of the benefits of a writer for exams for children with dyslexia,” reveals Pradhan. 

Pradhan with daughter Manashvi

Although one disorder does not cause the other, often dyslexia and ADHD coexist. Nair says, “In India, about three in 10 people with dyslexia have ADHD. Dyslexia is a learning disorder and ADHD affects your impulse-control and focus and makes you prone to hyperactivity. Both can have problems with reading and spelling. Before school, the early clues to detect dyslexia are when the child faces difficulty in learning new words, has a problem remembering or naming letters, numbers and colours, as well as nursery rhymes.” Alaknanda Sengupta, special educator at New Horizons Child Development Centre shares, “We have children at our centre who in early life were diagnosed with ADHD, and their academic challenges were assumed to be due to hyperactivity and inattention but on further evaluation, they also had learning disorders and needed an individualised education programme to improve their academics.”

Boosting for the best

Pradhan says, “The biggest challenge of dyslexia is to instill confidence in the child. Because they don’t understand it, they shut themselves to it. They feel, ‘If I can’t do it, I don’t want to do it’. As a parent, you have to push yourself and make them believe they can do it. Now my daughter reads independently but we are working on her ADHD. And while we know that she may just lose a year because she won’t be able to cope with the syllabus, we as parents are trying our best. She is a kid, after all.”

Dr Chawla says, “Supporting the child emotionally is most essential. The home and social environment should encourage activities the child likes and help them excel in the same. The stress on academic performance should be less. However, every small improvement noted should be appreciated and celebrated.”

Andheri resident Shilpa Sawant who went through several rounds of assessments and trips to remedial schools for her dyslexic son says, “I realised we as parents are the best teachers. We are at a better place to understand what works for our children and it is important that we continue to do that for them.” Sawant is currently pursuing a diploma in special education (learning disability) from Asian College of Teachers to be able to understand the condition and assist her child better.

For parents of younger kids, Nair suggests, when you notice your child is having difficulty in reading, you can try teaching phonics, making them read after you, and using flashcards to remember letters and words. Encourage reading time and set a routine. Prompt if they cannot read the word. Ask them to write down the words they are facing difficulty with and make them interact more in every possible way. It’s important for them to talk more to relay their emotions.”

Schooling for school

Sengupta says, “Children with learning disorders have normal intelligence, it is just that they learn differently and it’s absolutely fine to be different. They learn at their pace, in their way and so it is important to encourage, support and move ahead. Peers should be educated about what Learning Disorder is with emphasis on the fact that it’s just a different way of learning. This would stop the bullying a child may face due to academic lag.”

For teachers, Nair recommends using flashcards, picture books, rhymes and songs, and imitation exercises. Speak while doing the activity and make the child report what they understand. Making them read and write and it’s okay if they take extra time. Let them finish the task and repeat the tasks as well.”

OT at home

The pandemic compelled special educators to change tracks. “Children were indoors and had difficulties in accessing individualised  programmes. We immediately moved online so they could achieve their goals,” Chawla says. With their centres reopening, parents can choose between physical and online options. At home, Nair suggests visual perception activities like walking on a line, tracing, completing puzzles, using scissors, and writing on sand.

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