The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : “Decentralise examination system to help dyslexics”

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Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

“Decentralise examination system to help dyslexics”

A.V. Ragunathan

Lecture on ‘Scholastic backwardness and attention deficit’

Study found that 50 to 60 per cent of students in Chennai have symptoms of dyslexia
Only the Directorate of Government Examinations, Chennai, can grant concessions

NEYVELI: Dyslexics are eligible for certain concessions while writing examinations but many are not aware of them because of a centralised set-up.

Therefore, to make available such benefits to all dyslexics, it is imperative to decentralise the arrangements, according to B.S.Virudhagirinathan, consultant clinical neuropsychologist.

He was here to deliver a lecture on ‘Scholastic backwardness and attention deficit’ organised by the Indian Academy of Paediatrics.

Dr. Virudhagirinathan told The Hindu that a study had revealed that about 50 to 60 per cent of students in Chennai were having symptoms of the disability in varying degrees, ranging from mild to severe.

On an average, 50 to 100 students came for consultation before sitting for public examinations.

The dyslexics were given extra time for writing examinations, allowance for spelling mistakes, help of a reader or scribe, permission to use calculators and exemption from second language.

At present, only the Directorate of Government Examinations, Chennai, was authorised to grant these concessions on production of a certificate from a three-member medical team, including a neurologist, and the class teacher specifying the disability.

Dr. Virudhagirinathan said that many schools were either not aware of such concessions or hesitant to enlighten the parents on these aspects. Particularly, schools following the Central Board of Secondary Examination syllabus were averse to giving “exemption of second language” though they had the option of initiating the candidates in fine arts and dance as an alternative.

He noted that parents and candidates were now finding it difficult to go over to Chennai to get the exemption. Therefore, the government should empower the Chief Educational Officers to issue the necessary certificates.

He suggested that orientation could be given in this regard to teachers under the Education for All programme and through the Directorate of Teacher Training and Research Institute.

Dyslexia, also known as “specific learning difficulty,” “attention deficit disorder,” and “scholastic backwardness” could manifest in various forms such as dysgraphia (difficulty in writing), dyspraxia (difficulty in spelling) and dyscalculia (difficulty in calculations).

Since it was a hidden difficulty arising out of genetic inheritance, brain damage during infancy, maturational lag, psychological factors, disharmony in family and other anxiety factors, it could not be scanned.

By adopting a multidisciplinary approach with the cooperation of teachers, parents and speech and language therapists, the mood swings of the dyslexics can be controlled and their cognitive ability increased, Dr. Virudhagirinathan said.

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