When it comes to people with disabilities, our society seems to be plagued by prejudice coupled with a sense of reluctance to change towards those with special needs. In spite of efforts to spread awareness about different disabilities the stigma attached to them, to some extent, still persists.

Aruna Shankaranarayanan, a development psychologist, is the founder-director of Prayatna, a centre for educational assessment and intervention for children suffering from learning disabilities. This organisation is not just instrumental in changing the lives of many a children but also in gearing them up to be on par with other children.

Prayatna was established in 1998 as a result of the unparalleled efforts of Aruna. During the course of her education as an undergraduate, Aruna worked on a thesis on reading difficulties in children. She collected data from Boston and India and to her astonishment realised that most schools don’t offer any special facilities or intervention for children with learning disabilities. This was reason enough for her to start an organisation with the support of Echoing Green Foundation, New York, after the completion of a doctorate in Development Psychology from Harvard University.

A large number of learning disabilities are prevalent, dyslexia being the most common. Minor injuries to the brain as a result of a fall, an accident or even during the process of birth are an important causal factor. A premature birth also predisposes an individual to such a situation. Children with learning disabilities attend regular school as they are usually bright on oral tasks and have adequate intelligence.

Their problems become apparent only when it comes to reading and writing skills. It is here that Prayatna steps in. It plays a vital role in the development of the child by providing remedial skills and engaging him/her in games and other activities.

At Prayatna, a team comprising psychologists assess children that appear to have normal intelligence but show poor academic performances. They undergo various tests in reading, spelling, syntax, writing and numerical and language skills. These tests help identify problem areas thus enabling the centre to deal with it at a more specific level. In order to acquire more information about the child’s personality and history, meetings with parents are also arranged.

They also conduct regular workshops for teachers on learning disabilities and effective methods of teaching, reading and language skills, training programmes for parents and also set up resource rooms in schools.

Presently, the centre has established 10 resource rooms in different parts of the country like Chennai, Indore, Madurai, Bindigal (TN) and Bangalore. In the recent past Prayatna also conducted a certificate course for the students of Mount Carmel College. Explaining the significance of awareness related to such issues, Aruna says, “Most parents might go into a state of denial but it is in the interest of the child if reality sinks in faster. Also support from parents help children to do better.”

Dedication and perseverance are synonymous with Prayatna, an elucidation of this claim is that even after providing their services to about 750 children they continue to design and conceptualise new kits and programmes. One such kit is ‘Race Ahead.’

The kit adopts a skill-based view of learning, with activities that enhance phonological (the ability to segment words into smaller sound units) and orthographic (ability to recognise spelling patterns fluently) awareness involved in the reading process.

Expressing concern about the fate of students with learning disabilities Aruna says, “We hope that more and more schools become sensitive to the needs of children and allow for intervention programmes to be conducted at their premises. We are always ready to help.”

It is beyond a shadow of doubt that an organisation like Prayatna is and will make a difference to children with learning disabilities. But what we, as a society, must realise is that it is the moral responsibility of each individual to be sensitive and compassionate to these children.