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Is
your child a slow learner? Suddenly a "bullet" whizzes in and there is pandemonium. The waif-like five-year-old climbs up the grilled window, runs round and round the table, jumps on and off the table and pushes the chairs at breakneck speed. He picks up the pencil and eraser and throws them on the floor. Then up he goes onto the steel filing cabinet and jumps down. A hyperactive child, who won't sit still even for a few minutes. "This is 'normal' when we start with them. Sunil has been with us only a week. In time, with lots of patience and tenderness, he will settle down," explains Thezween Kariyawasam, leading me out of the room, allowing the young teacher to "tackle" her charge. Sunil's mother sits outside, a small respite from her otherwise hectic babysitting schedule. At present Sunil attends half-hour classes, until he learns to sit for a while and concentrate, when it will be extended to one hour. Next we meet the contrast. Ajith sits with a book, laboriously colouring pictures. As we walk in, he looks up but does not get distracted. When we ask his name he replies politely. When we say bye to him, this well-built teenager of 13, hugs me tightly. "Yes," says Thez-ween, "he was like little Sunil when he came to us about one and a half years ago. See the difference now." What is it that these people do in this house down Park Road in Colombo 5? A little known service comes out. A support group of parents and well-wishers have banded themselves as the Association for Individuals with Learning Differences, to help themselves and also others like Sunil's mother on a problem that society tends to ignore. "Our children are not mentally retarded. Neither is anything wrong with them physically," stresses Thezween, the Director of the Association. There is no impairment. It is a hidden problem. Currently there is also no definition. "Nobody really knows exactly what 'Learning Difficulties' are. However, those who work with these children or adults every day quickly learn to recognise the signs. It affects more boys than girls. Our own simple definition is 'intelligent, bright or often gifted individuals who for no apparent reason struggle to learn through the medium of written or spoken language," says Thezween. (See box for symptoms) She should know. She got her first inkling that something was wrong with her son when he began attending school. One doctor even told her that he had Down's Syndrome, a diagnosis given without the essential blood test. That day she was in tears, but the child's paediatrician did not agree with the 'diagnosis'. "I could not put my finger on what was wrong. It was a gut feeling. When my son began school, it became noticeable. He couldn't remember what he had learnt in school. Spellings were especially difficult. He would spell the word correctly the night before, but make mistakes in the morning. I was getting frustrated. Then we took him to India where it was diagnosed as this," says Thezween. Thereafter, it was just groping in the dark wondering what to do, until she heard that Lalitha Ramanujan from India's Alpha to Omega Learning Centre was in Sri Lanka in 1994 to conduct a workshop. "Then we got involved and formed our own Association, which we call Achievers," explains Thezween. It has been a long and difficult road for Thezween, but a successful one. Her son is happy. He goes to regular school, but also comes to Achievers. Says Thezween, "There would always be an 'age gap' in the learning abilities when compared to normal children, but I've accepted that. I had to decide whether I wanted a frustrated, unhappy child leaving home teary-eyed every morning or a confident boy. Unconditional parental acceptance is important. To whom can a child turn to, except his father and mother?" Achievers is a non-profit making organisation, which provides one-to-one interaction between its 25 students (between five and 25 years of age) and five teachers. "We are barely able to survive, what with the high cost of paper and other equipment we need for the students. The parents pay a fee of Rs. 200 per hour, of which Rs. 150 goes to the teacher for the extra care they take of the child not only with regard to their studies but also their physical wellbeing. Only the balance Rs. 50 from each child is left for the rent, which is very reasonable for a place like this, upkeep of the school and all the stuff we need like paper, crayons, paints. Support in any form, even pencils, paper and other stationery, is welcome," says Thezween. Those running Achievers firmly believe that to teach each child it is essential to see him/her as a whole person, complete with individual strengths and weaknesses. The teachers here are flexible and attempt to find a method that suits the pupil rather than expecting all pupils to learn the same way. Learning differences for them can be corrected with support and love. "It does not happen overnight. There's no magic wand. It's also important for parents to understand that they should not remove their children as soon as they show progress," was the view echoed by the teachers. The association too has advanced and Ms. Ramanujan is a frequent visitor, not only to give moral support but also carry out assessments on the children. The teachers who have been specially trained in India speak lovingly of the children - their 'naughtiness' like Ajith breaking the doorbell many times and the windscreen wipers of cars; and also their hidden talents at painting, singing, dancing or playing musical instruments. " They press the pencil so hard when they write that the point breaks. They also write and erase, write and erase till the pages tear," says teacher Tania. Their inability to read and write is a shameful secret. This makes them secretive and hostile. They are also taunted with names such as modaya, says Asanthi. A mother sitting with us recalls how she knew something was wrong when her baby didn't crawl, walk or speak at the right time. The problems got worse when he went to school. "I felt empty, really empty, until I started him here. Now there's hope." For Thezween, "Restoring their self esteem is an important part of undoing what we as an 'educated and caring' society do to them. At Achievers, this is our biggest challenge and we will be starting a full-time school on April 29." And they have
solid footsteps to follow. For where would the world be if not for
such greats as Albert Einstein (relativity theory) and Thomas Alva
Edison (electricity)? Believe it or not, both of them were "victims"
of dyslexia or a learning disability. |
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