Teach me the way I can learn

BINA NANGIA, Special Education, Amity International School, Saket, New Delhi.

Studies show that twenty per cent of school children at some point, experience significant learning difficulties and require special education.

Special education is required when a child has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than most children his age or a disability which either prevents or hinders him from making use of the educational facilities of a kind generally provided in school.

Dyslexia or learning disability is a language communication disability. A typical definition by the World Federation of Neurology of Specific Learning Difficulty is "a disorder manifested by difficulty in learning to read, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and socio- cultural opportunity. It is dependent upon fundamental cognitive disabilities which are of constitutional origin."

The incidence of specific learning difficulties, has important educational implications. Resources need to be allocated and educational policies need to take into consideration these students and finally an awareness has to be created.

It is reported that about 1.5 per cent of children in the U.S have specific learning difficulties (i.e. eight million children). In India, it has been estimated that 10-12 per cent of school going-children have learning difficulty of some from or the other.

The method generally used in schools for children beginning to learn to read are those based on the "whole word" approach. While the majority of children learn this way, those with learning disability do not. They fail to learn new words and even forget words once learnt. While some children successfully learn to "read from reading", dyslexic children need to be taught decoding skills.

Summary of teaching principles for the learning disabled. An individual approach (not necessarily individual teaching) where the child's specific difficulties are recognised and appropriate teaching programmes are provided. Multisensory techniques are used. Learning the structure - the rules and regulations of the written language system. Teaching to the strengths and remedying.

Finally, the underlying principle is that teaching should be sympathetic. This implies boosting the child's self-esteem. Telling him/her the nature of the disability. And helping to circumvent some of the secondary emotional problems that arise from the written language difficulty itself.

The ability to make the work interesting is one of the most important skills that the teacher should have. A rapport should be established between the teacher and the student.

It is important to recognise that the child will often become frustrated due to his inability to express his/her ideas in writing, or read books that interest him, and will have to work harder than others to achieve the same attainment level. Remedial work should be 'accepting' and patience is required. Progress maybe slow, so every step has to be encouraged and praised. Sometimes the child manifests secondary anxiety difficulties such as withdrawal, aggression or indulging in attention seeking behaviour.

Recognising the difficulty and discussing the problem with the child and empathising often dramatically improve the general adjustment difficulties. In addition, these children may be inconsistent in performance, getting a spelling right one day and wrong the next.

In many cases the child has to work slowly because of his difficulties and is always under pressure of time, this can result in getting tired much more quickly than other children, as much greater concentration is required.

In the words of the dyslexics all over the world, "If I cannot learn the way you teach, will you teach me the way I can learn."

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