Kids tested for learning disabilities……….Priya Ramakrishnan
Mumbai: In an effort to reach out to children with learning disabilities (LD), the LIFE trust NGO along with Nair Hospitals Life Centre for Learning Disabilities Clinic are conducting tests for students from BMC schools who have been promoted to Std X.
90% of students who register for testing at the clinic in the hospital are not from municipal schools.
The clinic has already tested 190 students from eight BMC Schools at Sion, Parel, Matunga, Dadar and Prabhadevi. The process would continue for other schools in the city. We send out a team of three people a doctor, a psychiatrist and a counsellor to the schools to do a screening test that includes eye and hearing check-ups. After that we take an IQ test, said Poonam Lalvani, managing trustee, LIFE trust.
A major hurdle is that most teachers in BMC schools are unaware of how to teach a student with LD. We are also conducting awareness campaigns for teachers, she said.
Experts agree that in a class of 60 students minimum 3-4 students usually are tested positive for LD. For such students, remedial education is provided by counsellors and teachers.