Learning Disability and Beyond

Dear Reader's,
Hope you all are well and managing as best possible in such critical times. I am sharing an article I had written for 'Matri', An advocacy group for Child Rights, Guwahati, Assam. It is on 'Learning problems in relation to Child Rights and was also a learning experience for me as well.
I would also like to let you know that I will be taking a short break from ' Learning Disability and Beyond' as I have started to pen the sequel to 'Reverse Alphabets' in which I will be continuing with Anubhav's journey through Class 11 and 12 featuring guidelines to help other children through High School with Specific Learning Disabilities.

With Regards, Bani.

“We children have our rights”

Children are very much like the colors of the rainbow. There are so many aspects to a growing child that by not looking ‘beyond what meets the eye’ we might miss the vibrant colors of vibgyor and see only the darker shades. One has to keep an open mind as our children grow, be alert and mindful of their whims and fancies but at the same time not be so worried at each step that we lose out on the beauty of being a child once again with our children.
A child who fidgets incessantly while sitting in the class room and finds it difficult to listen attentively to what is being taught might in reality have an underlying medical condition such as ‘ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder’ (ADHD).
A child who finds it difficult to interact with peers and seniors and prefers to remain aloof and alone might have an underlying condition called ‘Autism’. These children are also found to have ‘delayed speech’.
On the other hand, a child who is adept at all oral assignments and interacts freely with his or her peers and teachers yet shy’s away from reading and writing tasks might not be just ‘plain and simple’ lazy or uncooperative, but might have an under lying ‘Learning Disability’. These children have average to above intelligence but due to genetic and /or neurobiological factors that alter brain functioning in a manner which affects one or more cognitive processes related to learning they have processing problems that can interfere with basic learning skills such as reading, writing, and or mathematics.
There may be another scenario in which a child is slow at grasping or comprehending topics taught at school and also has a below average intelligence. These children are generally called ‘Slow Learners’ and go through the same basic developmental stages as other children, but will do so at a significantly slower rate.
These youngsters are often keenly aware of feeling set apart from their peers without learning problems and are susceptible to feelings of frustration and depression .They are more often than not subject to bullying by their peers and even insensitive seniors. Children can be knowingly and unknowingly cruel to any one who does not conform with their own cosy pattern of life.
Dear Readers, I would like to go a step further and mention that these already vulnerable children more often than not face emotional trauma at home and are often compared with their siblings or classmates which is so unjust. If parents are not aware of the underlying medical condition their ‘little ones’ are suffering from and think that they are being intentionally inattentive at school they often resort to harsh words and even physical punishment keeping in mind the old adage, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”. Sadly, in resorting to such measures the youngsters are pushed further away to a life of dismay. School teachers and pediatricians play an extremely important role in sensitizing the parents about the correct way to manage their children and guide them with special emphasis on the importance of a through psychological evaluation of the child.
Many parents are unaware that according to the Indian Constitution a child has ‘The Right To Protection’. In India, a child has the Right to be protected from, neglect, exploitation, abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labour harmful traditional practices to name a few.
To fully realize “Right to Protection”, it is important to adopt a sensitive attitude towards children and their needs. It is also necessary to invest in educating and training care givers on children’s fundamental right to protection, and prosecuting those who neglect it.
Education for a child is not only a window to the world but also prepares the child for all that the world has to offer. Our Constitution realizing the great importance of education brought about the ‘Right of Children to free and compulsory education’ which came into force on 1st April 2010. It describes the modalities of the importance of ‘free and compulsory education’ for children between the age of 6 to 14 years in India under the Article 21 A of the Indian Constitution.
Let us now bring our focus to the ‘The Right to education’ of persons with disabilities until the age of 18 years, which is laid down under a separate legislation—‘The Persons with Disabilities Act’ which includes a host of concessions and relaxations to children with learning problems provided the underlying medical condition falls within the list of Disabilities mentioned in the Act.
“ Knowledge leads to empowerment”, hence only if parents are sensitized to the presence of such provisions in both the CBSE and ICSE boards will the parents be able to avail the same to help their child through school. Of equal importance is the knowledge that according to CBSE and ICSE, teaching of children with Learning Disabilities is inclusive and under no pretext can the schools authority shirk from the responsibility of taking such children.
Coming to a little insight on the history of Child Rights, “The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child” was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. The CRC is the most ratified “ Child Rights Convention ” in the world and India being a signatory to it, is mandated to review the progress on child rights and undertake activities to ensure realization of child rights.The Convention affirms children entitlement to survival, development, protection and participation. It also acknowledges that the realization of these rights for children can only be accomplished through the care and assistance of adults and meaningful participation of children and youths themselves. Therefore, while children and youths have the right to advocate for and participate in the promotion of their rights, adults are the duty bearers and have the responsibility to ensure that the child’s rights are fulfilled.
Summing up, in the words of Thomas Berry a cultural historian,
The Child awakens to a universe
The mind of the child to a world of meaning
Imagination to a world of beauty
Emotions to a world of intimacy
It takes a universe to make a child
Both in outer form and inner spirit
It takes,
A universe to educate a child
A universe to fulfill a child.