On Sunday, Antarman, Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Psychiatric Society of Goa in association with Sethu conducted a seminar on learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in kids where leading experts in the field unanimously agreed that sensitisation of teachers was the need of the hour.
And they are not wrong. Not all disabilities can be seen with the naked eye and identifying children with learning disabilities can be particularly tricky. More often than not, they seem like academic failures or underachievers. However, it has been proven that such kids in fact have average or above average intelligence. Their brains just process information differently.
So while identification and a detailed diagnosis of the disability at hand is the first step towards treatment and evaluation, as with all areas of life, education, sensitisation and equal treatment is essential to their integration in schools.
Teachers must thus be equipped with the right skill set so as to be able to not only identify, but also provide such children with a positive learning environment. This is where the education department comes in. Not only do they need to create resource rooms and special educators, but also develop better policy to help see the big picture of special education needs and help children with such disabilities cope.
