Dyslexia is, according to the World Federation of Neurology, a “disor~er manifested by difficulties in learning to read, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and socio-cultural opportunity.” It is estimated that about 10 percent of school going children in India suffer from dyslexia.

Bina Nangia, who helps affected children says, “School children in India come under great academic pressure from the tender age of three. Their childhood is cut short by a rigid curriculum, mindless homework load and tests. While a high level of performance is expected from every child, educators today find more under-achievers in schools than ever before. Besides other physical disabilities, his academic under-achievement may be due to dyslexia or specific learning disability.”

A reason why there are so many misconceptions about the disorder could be the sheer ‘invisibility’ ofthe disorder. As a result, educators are left wondering why an apparently normal and healthy child, is an under achiever and are puzzled by the difference in the intellectual potential and the actual performance of a dyslexic child. This results in labelling such children “lazy, unmotivated, spoilt, careless, untidy and disorganised.” Soumya Gupta, a remedial educator with Vidyashree, an NGO working with dyslexic children says, “People generally think that dyslexics are slow learners, mentally retarded, slow in comprehension, emotionally disturbed and totally unfit for learning. In reality, dyslexics only have problems in reading writing, spelling and sometimes, in arithmetic, but not in thinking.”

With the disorder not being an apparent one, what kind oftraining does a dyslexic child need? Says Dr. Reena Puri of the newly formed Indian Council for Learning Disability (I CLD), “If a child suffers from only mild dyslexia, then he can get training while studying in a regular school. It is only in severe cases that the child needs to be taken out of the mainstream and given separate training and treatment.” The teacher and the school assume an important role in the training of dyslexic children. Adds N angia, “A teacher can try and meet the special needs of dyslexic children by allowing them some concessions like assigning less written homework, taking oral tests, giving marks for content without penalising them for grammatical and spelling errors, introducing abstract ideas through photographs and objects, not punishing the child for messy work and poor handwriting and including the child in all class activities.”

Since awareness about dyslexia and other learning disabilities is relatively poor in the country, it is imperative for schools to conduct awareness’workshops for teachers and parents so that affected children can be identified. Says Bawa, who has two sons suffering from dyslexia, “When identified, it is important for parents to accept the fact that their child has a learning disability and then take suitable action. They should not compare their child with his siblings, who are normal, and lose heart. They should, in fact, provide a structure to the child’s life – both in space and in sequencing time.” It is definitely not advisable to segregate dyslexic children and put them in special institutes.