Slow leaners: Teachers, parents urged to study dyslexia

‘One in every six children in the country have a learning disability’.

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Association for Difficulties in Learning (PADIL) held a workshop on Thursday on the problems faced by children with learning disabilities.

The workshop was held at Nairang Art Gallery.

Speakers at the workshop said that one out of every six children in the country suffered from some of dyslexia. They said symptoms of dyslexia include having trouble learning to speak, poor memory and inability to concentrate.

Kopinski Edit, an activist from Hungary said, “Dyslexia is not a disease. It is a disability that presents its symptoms from childhood. It makes it impossible for a child to differentiate between D and B, M and W. Since the child has trouble comprehending words, he begins to lag behind in studies.”

Edit said most parents and teachers were not fully aware of dyslexia.

She said teachers in the country were not trained to teach with dyslexic children.

“Educational institutions and NGOs should hold awareness seminars on dyslexia,” she said

PADIL CEO Alishba Kamran, said, “PADIL aims to generate awareness about learning difficulties among children,”

She said there was a need to use innovative remedial programmes to encourage children with learning difficulties.

Journalist Hamid Waleed said, “Media can be an agent for change agent in the society.”

He said India’s cinema had already taken up projects dealing with children with disabilities.



Waleed urged journalists to write about the issue. He also urged filmmakers to make documentaries on learning disabilities.

Sarah Nowak, from Germany, said lack of awareness among teachers, parents and the society as a whole caused many talented children with unidentified learning problems to be neglected at school and eventually drop out due to academic and emotional pressures.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2013.