Earlier this month, on 20 October 2024, the Madras Dyslexia Affiliation (MDA) — a Chennai-based non-profit based by dad and mom of kids with dyslexia — organised a ‘Dyslexia Consciousness Stroll’ from Besant Nagar seaside. This occasion was one among many to mark ‘Dyslexia Consciousness Month’ celebrated worldwide each October to boost consciousness amongst locals, dad and mom, and colleges concerning the individuals who have it.
Talking concerning the occasion, D Chandrasekhar, the founding father of MDA, an alumnus of IIT-Madras and first era entrepreneur, mentioned, “These occasions are important first steps in the direction of enabling a ‘Dyslexia delicate society’. They permit dad and mom, colleges and academics to determine and settle for this neurological situation paving the best way to facilitate remedial periods for youngsters with dyslexia to be taught coping methods utilizing multi-sensory strategies. This ensures that the people with dyslexia lead a productive life as a substitute of slipping by way of the cracks.”
MDA was based in 1992 when a gaggle of fogeys of kids with dyslexia, educationists empathetic to the trigger, and philanthropists got here collectively to actively assist youngsters tackle this situation and lift consciousness about it to most people.
The organisation was based to take a practical method to assist youngsters with dyslexia. For the previous three a long time, it has been offering remedial assist and assist to youngsters with dyslexia and their dad and mom by way of the Ananya Studying and Analysis Centre (ALRC). They’ve additionally been actively working in the direction of spreading consciousness to the group at giant, serving to colleges arrange useful resource rooms and conducting trainer coaching programmes.
Understanding dyslexia
In line with MDA, “Since dyslexia is a hidden [learning] incapacity that doesn’t permit the kid to carry out to his/her precise potential, the underachievement of an in any other case clever little one is puzzling to each academics and fogeys alike. Well timed identification and applicable assistance will be sure that these youngsters proceed their training and their potential is totally tapped.”
Youngsters with dyslexia might face challenges of their tutorial pursuits (particularly of their school-going years) attributable to difficulties in studying, spelling, writing and or maths, regardless of their common to above common intelligence. Most frequently, dad and mom, academics and friends deal with these areas of deficits ignoring the abilities these people may very well be bestowed with.
Pradeep Thangappan, a dyslexic, entrepreneur and co-founder of Aerostrovilos Power Pvt. Ltd — a startup aiming at manufacturing micro gasoline generators for power-based functions — recalled:
“Once I was in center faculty [about 20 years ago], my father learn an article in The Hindu about dyslexia. It was actually describing me. I did have an issue with maths and English, the reversing [of the letters] ‘B’ and ‘D’, and confusion between left and proper [directions]. After studying the article, he wished to get me examined [for dyslexia]. On the time, there was hardly any consciousness. [But] No less than now, my wrestle had a reputation.”
For Pradeep, dyslexia brings a whole lot of power and weak spot. “To today, I do have an issue with studying. I don’t suppose I can sit down after which learn a e-book. I’ve by no means learn a novel or a e-book so far as a result of it’s tough for me. I do make spelling errors even at the moment. However I perceive how issues work. On a really course of degree, I can decipher how an engineering element would work. My strengths lie in determining area of interest issues the place persons are not capable of finding an answer conventionally. I can have a look at an issue and provides it options in a means that no one else can,” he mentioned.
Pradeep was a part of the primary batch of ALRC, “a full-time pull-out remediation centre for youngsters with Particular Studying Difficulties,” in response to the MDA web site.
“Remedial intervention is [usually] provided for youngsters between the ages of 6 and 12, the place the kid is pulled out of the mainstream faculty and given a remedial programme primarily based on a multi-sensory method. This programme is obtainable to the kid after an evaluation of his/her strengths and wishes utilizing international standardised evaluation instruments. The remediation programme is obtainable for a interval of 1 12 months on the minimal to 2 years on the most, relying on the depth of the remediation required, after which the kid is mainstreamed again to the common faculty,” the web site additional notes.
Origins of MDA
Dr Chandrasekhar recollects attending a dyslexia remediation coaching programme in 1992 along with his spouse to assist his dyslexic son. After the coaching programme, the members met for dinner.
Chatting with The Higher India, Chandrasekhar recollects, “The coach who had come from England, Hazel Mckay, prompt that to be able to undertake some severe motion, it will be higher to kind an affiliation and work collectively. Initially, the affiliation had a gaggle of trainees together with a couple of dad and mom and particular educators. Since I used to be personally concerned in some social actions at the moment, I volunteered for this good trigger. All of us received collectively and determined to kind the MDA, and I used to be chosen to be the secretary of the affiliation.”
“My private motivation for establishing MDA was the chance to fulfill professionals who might assist my son. Initially, the MDA encountered a whole lot of issues. Firstly, there was a scarcity of readability about what dyslexia is. Many dad and mom have been in denial that their youngsters might have dyslexia. There was a lack of understanding within the public,” he shares.
“Many thought that we have been supporting ‘dumb’ youngsters. However we’d overcome these challenges over time by way of our relentless consciousness programmes, reaching out to the dad and mom, colleges and most people by way of the media, whereas additionally actively offering particular help to dyslexic youngsters,” he provides.
What does MDA do?
Initially, MDA began with coaching academics to assist youngsters with dyslexia.
Chatting with The Higher India, D Chandrasekhar says, “After a few years, we opened a remediation centre, each part-time and full-time, for youngsters and likewise received a couple of of our particular educators educated to hold out assessments. We adopted many strategies from the United States and the UK, however over time, we realised that we wanted to switch this programme to go well with Indian youngsters. Accordingly, our academics employed a whole lot of innovation in changing these practices to go well with our circumstances. We’ve accomplished a whole lot of developments in remediating by way of a number of sensory strategies utilizing verbal, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile strategies.”
At the moment, MDA runs the full-time remediation centre for severely affected dyslexic youngsters. They assist 30 youngsters at their centre moreover offering part-time remediation to 50 youngsters.
“We prepare the academics on determine these youngsters utilizing a guidelines. We additionally prepare the academics use multi-sensory strategies and remediate the kids from their issues in studying, writing, spelling, maths, and government features. We prepare the trainee academics to indicate a whole lot of empathy and understanding to the kids with dyslexia,” he says.
For academics, MDA runs an e-shikshanam programme that’s primarily a free even-week on-line course that helps major faculty academics assist youngsters with gentle to average dyslexia. In addition they run a six-week Intensive Trainer Coaching Programme that helps academics determine and assist youngsters with totally different ranges of dyslexia.
In the meantime, remediation periods for youngsters are accomplished by way of the ALRC. This contains an Particular person Schooling Program (IEP), which in response to the MDA web site, “is drawn out for the kid primarily based on his/her strengths and wishes.” The IEP consists of “ability constructing, need-based and exercise oriented studying”. Furthermore, the ALRC additionally focuses on the ‘holistic growth of the kid’ with the purpose to nurture their abilities and pursuits — together with co-curricular actions like yoga, music, dramatics, arts and crafts, and video games, moreover one thing referred to as Hydra.
In line with the web site, “Hydra is without doubt one of the arms of MDA focussed on nurturing the pure potential of kids. The crew at Hydra consists of educated academics and psychological well being professionals and works in technical partnership with Vidya Sagar [a Chennai-based non-profit empowering people with disabilities]. The setting at Hydra is caring and non-threatening. This encourages the kids to let go of any stress and emotions of low self-worth that always accompany the situation of dyslexia. It helps them really feel accepted for who they’re.”
MDA additionally engages in Occupational Remedy, a key element of remediation. This focuses “on serving to youngsters with bodily capability, sensory integration, consideration, and focus issue to boost their abilities together with shallowness and efficiency within the classroom.”
Lastly, you might have counselling, the place the ALRC companions with certified professionals to supply counselling for youngsters and fogeys as a part of the persona growth of the kid. “There’s an in-house counsellor who interacts with the kid and the dad or mum and likewise conducts periodic workshops for them. The academics are additionally given orientation on little one behaviour to assist them deal with totally different behavioural points within the classroom,” the web site provides.
Outcomes
Chatting with The Higher India, Chandrasekhar says, “One of many main misconceptions that individuals have about dyslexic youngsters is that they aren’t clever. Truly, they’re very clever with an IQ of greater than 85. It is rather straightforward to work with them as soon as we take the proper method. MDA has eliminated the misconceptions by demonstrating the remedial programmes.”
Over three a long time, Chandrasekhar claims that MDA has instantly assisted greater than 1,500 youngsters of their full-time remediation centre, and offered part-time remediation for 3,000 youngsters. “We’ve educated greater than 2,000 academics and performed coaching programmes in over 400 colleges. We’ve additionally arrange useful resource rooms for dyslexic youngsters in almost 200 colleges that profit 10,000 of them 12 months on 12 months,” provides Chandrasekhar.
How far has our training system are available in aiding youngsters with dyslexia?
In line with Chandrasekhar, “The training system has proven a whole lot of understanding in the direction of the wants of dyslexic youngsters. Quite a lot of concessions are provided throughout public exams. Dyslexic youngsters are eligible for all the advantages beneath the Disabilities Act. But, we’ve an extended strategy to go. Consciousness in colleges continues to be very low, particularly amongst academics. Whereas personal colleges simply perceive the issues related to dyslexia, it’s nonetheless not a precedence in authorities colleges.”
(Edited by Pranita Bhat; Pictures courtesy D Chandrasekhar)
