📘 Learning Disabilities in Children
Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia – Diagnosis, Support & Treatment
🧪 How Is a Learning Disability Diagnosed?
Diagnosis isn’t based on marks or tuition reports — it’s a structured, scientific process.
✅ 1. Clinical History
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Pregnancy/birth history, milestones
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School performance, teacher feedback
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Family history of learning difficulties, ADHD, dyslexia
✅ 2. Psychoeducational Assessment
| Assessment | Purpose |
|---|---|
| IQ Test (WISC-IV / Binet-Kamat) | Confirms normal or above-average intelligence |
| SLD Screening Tests | Identifies academic weakness in reading, writing, mathematics |
| NIMHANS SLD Battery / MISIC | Standard Indian tool to diagnose dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia |
| Curriculum-Based Tests | Compare child’s reading, writing, math with age/class standards |
| Attention/ADHD Evaluation | Coexisting ADHD seen in 30–50% of dyslexic children |
| Optional: Eye, hearing, thyroid evaluation | To rule out sensory or medical causes |
🎯 Treatment – Can Learning Disabilities Be Cured?
No magic pill exists.
But with remedial teaching + right support + supportive parenting, most children improve dramatically.
✅ 1. Remedial Education (Main Treatment)
Conducted by a Special Educator (RCI Registered) – focuses on:
✔ Phonics-based reading (sound + letter training)
✔ Multi-sensory teaching (seeing, hearing, touching, writing)
✔ Structured spelling programs
✔ Practice writing on sand/boards before paper
✔ Math with visuals: beads, blocks, abacus
✔ Concept breakdown: one step at a time
📍 These are not tuitions. They are brain retraining methods.
✅ 2. Occupational Therapy (If needed)
✔ For poor handwriting, pencil grip
✔ Improves fine motor skills, posture, copying from board
✔ Helps with dysgraphia & visual-spatial problems
✅ 3. Assistive Technologies that Help
| Tool | Use |
|---|---|
| Audiobooks (Storytel, Audible, Google Play Books) | Helpful for dyslexia |
| Text-to-Speech Apps | Reads textbooks aloud |
| Speech-to-Text (Google Docs Voice Typing) | Helps with writing struggles |
| Dyslexia fonts/software (OpenDyslexic) | Makes reading easier |
| Spell-checkers, Grammarly | For writing & spelling errors |
✅ 4. Medications?
No medication treats dyslexia or learning disability directly.
However, if ADHD, anxiety, or depression coexists → medication may help focus & behaviour.
📚 Exam Concessions in India (CBSE, ICSE, State Boards)
Under RPwD Act 2016, children with SLD are legally entitled to support:
✔ Extra time in exams (30–60 mins)
✔ Use of a scribe (writer)
✔ Permission to type answers instead of handwriting
✔ Exemption from second language (in some boards)
✔ Option to drop math/science (CBSE/NIOS) and choose skill subjects
✔ Grace marks in borderline failure cases
✔ No school can deny admission because of SLD
❤️ Emotional Impact – What Children Feel (But Don’t Say)
Children with SLD often say:
“I know the answer, but I can’t write fast enough.”
“My teacher thinks I don’t study.”
“Why am I different from others?”
“I hate school.”
They may develop:
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Low self-esteem
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Anxiety, depression
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Anger or withdrawal
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School refusal
✨ What they truly need is not pressure, but patience and belief.
👪 What Parents Can Do
✅ Believe your child — don’t call them lazy
✅ Focus on progress, not perfection
✅ Encourage strengths — art, music, memory, logic, creativity
✅ Avoid constant comparison with siblings/friends
✅ Work with school teachers, not against them
✅ Celebrate effort, not just marks
👨⚕️ About the Author
Dr. Srinivas Rajkumar T
MD (AIIMS, New Delhi), DNB Psychiatry
Consultant Child, Adolescent & Family Psychiatrist
Mind & Memory Clinic – Apollo Clinic (Opp. Phoenix MarketCity), Velachery, Chennai – 600042
📞 +91-8595155808 | 🌐 www.srinivasaiims.com
Specialised in Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia), ADHD, Autism, Behavioural Issues & Child Psychiatry — offering assessments, certifications, therapy planning and school guidance.