When a child struggles to learn

Signs that are worth an assessment

Every child is different, and one sign alone means little. If several of these continue for six months or more, at home and at school, talk to a doctor.

• Reading: mixes up letters, reads very slowly, guesses words, avoids reading aloud, long after classmates have caught up.
• Writing and spelling: same word spelt differently, very hard to copy from the board, messy writing despite effort.
• Maths: trouble with numbers, counting and simple sums for their age.
• Attention: very easily distracted, loses things, forgets instructions, cannot finish tasks.
• Restlessness: cannot sit still far more than other children, acts without thinking, interrupts a lot.

How assessment works in India

• Start with your paediatrician or the school counsellor. They can refer you.
• Government: the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, and the child guidance clinic or child psychiatry OPD of a government medical college. These are free or low cost.
• Assessment is done by a child psychiatrist or paediatrician with an RCI-registered clinical psychologist (or rehabilitation psychologist), using tests of learning, intelligence and attention. It may take more than one visit.
• For a disability certificate for specific learning disability, the assessment must be done by the medical authority your state notifies, usually at a government hospital. The certificate and UDID card are applied for on the Swavlamban card portal.

UDID: Swavlamban card portal ↗Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram ↗

What the law covers

• Specific learning disability (such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia) is one of the disabilities listed in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. With a certificate, a child can get exam accommodations and other support.
• ADHD on its own is not one of the disabilities listed in the Act. Some boards still consider ADHD for exam accommodations on a doctor’s certificate. Ask your board and school what they accept this year.

RPwD Act 2016 (India Code) ↗

Board exam accommodations for SLD

• CBSE and most state boards allow, for candidates with a valid disability certificate: extra (compensatory) time, a scribe or reader, and some flexibility in subjects such as the third language. The exact rules are in each board’s current circular.
• Apply through the school, with the certificate, before the board’s deadline for the year (often when the exam form is filled). Late requests are often refused.
• Practise with the scribe or the extra time during pre-boards, so the child is comfortable on the day.

CBSE: circulars on concessions for candidates with disabilities ↗

For teachers: small changes that help

• Seat the child near you and away from the door and window.
• Give one instruction at a time, and write it on the board too.
• Break work into short parts with a check after each.
• Mark for ideas and understanding, not only spelling and handwriting.
• Allow short movement breaks, like handing out notebooks.
• Praise effort in front of the class; correct in private.

Focus kit: timers, tiny steps, readable font, reading ruler