Online assessment for children with learning problems

During the pandemic, much time has been lost for children with learning problems. The online mode of teaching does not suit them. The feedback of parents has been discouraging, with clear indications that children have fallen behind in crucial skills of reading, spelling and math.

The younger children who were having difficulty picking up literacy skills at kindergarten could no longer do so without the help of their teachers. The older children who were just about learning skills of writing answers and establishing math skills gradually slipped down. Teachers were not able to figure out who were the kids who were doing well and who weren’t.

Today a year has passed and things don’t look like they’re letting up. However, we cannot lose further time. Already children with mild difficulties are finding their problems compounded overnight. If children are showing signs of not being able to complete notes in their books, not spelling correctly or unable to pay attention to the teacher during the online class, then parents should consider getting an educational assessment done.

A few experienced professionals are competently doing so through the online mode. Following this, they are able to refer the child to the right resource person for individual learning support, as special educators are now slowly but steadily beginning to operate online. It is not as successful as a face-to-face session but its value cannot be underrated in these days of scarce resources for children who are struggling to keep up in their education.

Remedial classes

Interestingly, the unexpected outcome of online remedial classes are the convenience of time and removal of geographical boundaries. Children across the world are seeking assessments and professionals are able to accommodate their needs.

These are some signs that a child may need to be assessed: Slow reading, poor comprehension, frequent spelling errors, disorganised written work, difficulty in recalling answers, preference for oral work or written work.

Loss of interest and avoidance of academic work are other signs that one should look for.

Though a child might be intelligent, it is possible that a learning problem is causing frustration or poor marks. This is because the child might need specific instructional strategies to overcome the difficulties being faced. Identifying learning disabilities is a complex process.

The screening and diagnosis process will help formulate steps to develop, strengthen, and establish the learning support the child needs. Through the assessment, the parent can understand what interventions the child requires.

It is important to get the child assessed by an experienced professional.

The intervention is highly successful for children in the age-group of 3 to 5 years. Among older children emotional and behavioural problems might arise due to poor academic performance and related feelings of low self-esteem, lack of motivation and aggression, so it advisable to get to the root of the issue. Early diagnosis and early intervention are key to overcoming many academic-related problems.