‘Mudde Shur’, ‘Nabikaar Bache’: Living with dyslexia in Kashmir

Srinagar, June 07:  Saif, 12, was repeatedly bullied by his teacher for not being able to read and pronounce words.

A sixth standard student, he is not even able to read words from 4th standard textbooks. Without understanding his learning disability, his teacher complained to his parents about his lack of interest in his studies. They, too, ended up scolding him. To the point, he refused to attend school and turned aggressive.

After taking help from the Child Guidance and Wellness Centre (CGWC) at IMHANS, Kashmir, he was diagnosed with dyslexia.

“Dyslexia is a learning disorder for anyone who displays difficulties with reading. When a child struggles to read, he/she displays trouble with: sounding out words and may confuse the order of letters, Decoding: this is the ability to match letters to sounds and then use that skill to read words accurately and fluently,” Dr. Mohammad Abrar, Consultant Child Psychiatrist at Child Guidance and Wellness Centre, IMHANS told The Kashmir Monitor.

Often labeled as “Mudde Shiur (dumb children)” and “Nabikaar Bache (good for nothing kids)”, learning disabilities in children often remain unidentified and undiagnosed in Kashmir. Subsequently, they struggle with reading, understanding concepts, and communicating effectively.

Dr. Abrar said children with learning disabilities often suffer from low self-esteem as they are stigmatized and sharply criticized for their poor performance. “A lot of kids are struggling in school with an undiagnosed disability called learning disorder. Usually, parents tend to ignore or are unaware of the fact that their child is suffering from such a disorder. They call them slow learners,” he said. 

Mohammad Shaheen, Pediatric Occupational Therapist at Child Guidance and Wellness Centre, IMHANS said that learning disorders are not curable.

“However, with timely interventions, support, and love, children with such disabilities can succeed in school. It is very important to keep a check and work together with the child’s school teacher and the doctor. Many children benefit from therapy. Occupational therapies help in improving motor skills and writing problems,” Shaheen said.

Special educators are important at schools as they can help in the early identification of learning disorders and help your child improve his or her academics, he said.

It is pertinent to mention that the majority of the schools in the valley lack educators for children with special needs.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (BOSE) recently announced several exemptions and concessions to the Children with Special Needs (CWSN) of classes 10-12.

 “It hereby notified for the information of all the concerned that the exemptions and concessions shall be provided for Class X, XI, and XII examinations conducted by JKBOSE to CWSN with benchmark disability of not less than 40 percent,” said an official order.