GURUGRAM: A 14-year-old boy who studies in the ninth standard of a well-known CBSE school has been struggling with his self-belief ever since he appeared for a learning
disability test. “In one of the rounds, I was asked to identify the difference between an apple and a banana. I said we were taught this in kindergarten,” he says as his adolescent’s voice acquires a sharper edge, triggered by the memory of the experience.
As a result, the smarting teenager does not want to go back and take the remaining two parts of the test. The parents say they understood why the test was needed, as well as their son’s emotion, but admitted to themselves being intimidated by the test.
A boy studying in
Class X in another reputable school still can’t comprehend why he has to take the entire learning disability test when his grades had fallen only in two subjects. “My school told me I have to take the comprehensive test. My scores had dipped only in maths and science and that too in the unit test,” he says.
In both instances, the
schools recommended the tests because academic performances had been consistently falling and the problem needed to be diagnosed well in time for the board
exam — next year in one boy’s case and 2020 in the other’s. But is it the right age to take this test? Ninth standard is a time when students with palpable weaknesses get routinely sent for learning disability tests but clinical psychologists think leaving it till the teens is not a good idea.
Last year, the Bombay
high court had ordered schools to screen children for learning disabilities from age nine. The order was passed after psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty moved a petition, underlining the pitfalls of delayed detection of learning disability among school children. Dr Shetty said the
boards usually screen children in the ninth standard, by when the child “has undergone trauma and suffered psychologically”, and that early detection would ensure kids did not lose their self-confidence.
Principals of city schools are beginning to agree. Rashmi Malik of Salwan Public School says when she joined the institution last year, Class IX students were being sent to get this test done. “I think these issues should be identified when a student is in Class II or III. At this stage, I would ask them to work hard, but won’t recommend a learning disability test,” she says.
But the schools also say parents must be alert and get the tests done when the kids are in primary school. Aparna Erry, principal of DAV School, said, “Parents should identify such problems at an early stage. Schools don’t have facilities for this test. We recommend government hospitals. The clinical psychologist identities if a student is indeed suffering from such disorders, which subjects they should be exempted from, and what quantum of exemption that kid should get.”
Arti Chopra, principal of Amity International School (Sector 46) said the school follows a process. “It’s our job to hand-hold students who are weak in studies. They need additional help, which we give. If in spite of that a student flunks, we look for help from outside.”
Clinical psychologists say parents are more aware of learning disability tests than five years ago but they still need to be guided on what the right age is for these tests. There are three major forms of the disability — dyslexia (difficulty in reading), dysgraphia (difficulty in writing) and dyscalculia (difficulty in mathematical calculation). Explaining what this test entails, clinical psychologist Shweta Sharma says, “A kid is tested using the ‘Nimhans Index for Specific Learning Disabilities’. Younger kids (5-7 years) are tested to see if they are able to keep their attention focused or not. For visual discrimination, we ask kids to mark an object that looks the same as the one shown to them. Three or more errors indicate difficulty with visual discrimination. Every day, I meet around six patients, of whom about two have been sent by private schools to ascertain whether they have a learning disability or not.”
