Nagpur, Jul 24 (PTI) Behind a child’s constant fidgeting, missed homework, and the unfair label of the “class clown” or mischievous often lies an undiagnosed learning disability rather than disobedience or laziness, paediatric experts at AIIMS Nagpur say.
According to AIIMS Nagpur Paediatrics head Dr Meenakshi Girish, affected children usually possess normal or high IQs, but suffer deep emotional stress when their struggles with learning are misread as behavioural flaws.
“These are medical problems that cause a child to have trouble learning. For example, they might have trouble learning to read, write, or do math. Without realising that they may actually have a medical problem, the child is usually labelled as either disobedient or just dull in studies by the school teachers or stubborn by the parents,” she said.
Parents should resist the urge to scold such children and instead seek professional evaluation through a standard paper-based assessment, she advised.
“We see six to eight children every month at our Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Clinic with suspected learning disabilities,” she told PTI on the sidelines of a workshop on strengthening media capacity on childhood NCDs organised by UNICEF India and the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Maharashtra, supported by AIIMS Nagpur.
According to some estimates, the prevalence of learning disabilities ranges from 2.16 per cent to 30.77 per cent in India. However, the cases may even be higher because there is no national registry for accurate data.
UNICEF health specialist Dr Annapurna Kaul said, “At least 10 to 20 per cent of the school-going population in India, about four to five students in an average classroom of 40 children experience a specific learning disability.” “In some children, there is a medical condition. They are unable to grasp certain parts of what is taught in class. Some struggle with English or Mathematics, while others find it difficult even to recognise letters,” Dr Girish said.
She said that these children generally have a normal or even high intelligence quotient (IQ) and often display remarkable abilities in other areas.
“They are bright children. Their attention naturally shifts to activities they enjoy and perform well in. Unfortunately, we often call them ‘mastikhor’ (mischevious), when in reality, they may be coping with a learning disability,” Dr Girish added.
Children with learning disabilities often appear inattentive in the classroom, look around when lessons are being taught or fail to complete homework, leading teachers and parents to mistake the condition for indiscipline, she said.
“Teachers are usually the first to notice such behaviour, but many fail to recognise it as a possible learning disability because of limited awareness. When they complain, parents tend to believe their child is simply being mischievous or dull,” she opined.
Repeated criticism at school and at home can place such children under considerable emotional stress, affecting their confidence, behaviour and willingness to learn; they may even refuse to go to school on the pretext of some reason or the other, Dr Girish added.
“Parents rarely come to us saying their child is weak in studies. They usually say the child doesn’t listen. Our job is to identify the real problem,” she said.
Dr Girish said children diagnosed with learning disabilities benefit from remedial education, which focuses on strengthening their abilities while providing support in subjects they find difficult.
She pointed out that these children are entitled to several educational concessions and support under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities framework so that they are not left behind and are encouraged to excel in fields where they show aptitude.
Addressing the workshop, Dr Tushar N Nale, Assistant Director General in the Directorate General of Health Services under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said non-communicable diseases account for about 66 per cent of all deaths in the country.
NCDs comprise diabetes, obesity, mental disorders, and other treatable diseases. PTI LAL ARU
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