Special educators and parents of dyslexic children in the city are unhappy over the environment the students are exposed to, during the process of certification required to avail of concessions offered by the State government.
As a part of the procedure, the students are taken to Government Mental Hospital at Kilpauk or Institute of Mental Health for a thorough clinical and psychological assessment.
“The staff and doctors are very helpful, but the wait is long. The children wait along with other patients, and sometimes, prisoners who are brought in for assessment,” says Uma Krishnan, a parent.
Until two decades ago, awareness about learning disabilities was fairly low and dyslexic students often underperformed in school, grappling with a feeling of helplessness during exams. In 2003, the Tamil Nadu government granted some concessions: allowing extra time, calculators, scribes, overlooking spelling and grammar errors, and exemption from studying a second language.
To avail of these concessions, the student needed a letter from the school and a report from an authorised psychiatrist. But this procedure was changed a few years ago.
“The process has become more streamlined and parent-friendly now,” says Shanti Nambi, of Madras Medical College and Institute of Child Health. The student approaches the medical board of a government medical college with a letter from the school. He or she is then directed to a suitable hospital to undergo the assessment.
While some students require just one assessment session, others may need up to seven to complete the detailed procedure. As government medical colleges are understaffed, this takes at least two weeks.
Once this is complete, the certificate is taken back to the Medical Board, which approves the concessions recommended for the student after a review. “The board didn’t ask me many questions, but some of my friends were asked to read, write or pronounce words,” says Anirud, a student.
The procedure is slightly different for CBSE schools, which require a medical certificate and a letter from the school to avail of the concessions.
The National Institute of Open Schooling system, which allows students to space out their exams, has also benefitted students. Special schools and organisations working in the area of learning disabilities have the benefit of experience.
“We’ve been through the process many times, and know how it works, but parents undertaking this alone might find it tricky,” says Rashma of Sankalp, an Open School and Learning Centre. Organisations like the Madras Dyslexia Association offer counselling to parents and students.
