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Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, Vol. 61, No. 7, July, 2007, pp. 379-380 Editorial Importance and the role of parents in specific learning disabilities Reid Gavin University of Edinburgh, UK; and Consultant Centre for Child Evaluation and Teaching, Kuwait Code Number: ms07063 This article can be seen by many as an important landmark in our understanding of the importance and the role of parents in this area. The authors quite rightly state that it is only in the last few years that awareness of dyslexia has developed in India; indeed, I find awareness of dyslexia varies considerably from country to country. Only in April this year, an eye-catching headline appeared in a New Zealand national newspaper that the government is finally recognizing dyslexia. [1] With the acknowledgment of dyslexia, more widespread articles such as this one in this journal become increasingly more relevant and more important. [2] It is extremely crucial that parents are appropriately informed, as any anxieties that they hold will inevitably be felt by their children. It is also crucial that parents have an enlightened appreciation of the learning needs of their children. This can only be achieved through careful counseling and the passing on of appropriate information. It is important also that trust is built between parents and clinicians and teachers. For these reasons, this article is of great importance. As the authors point out, a supportive home environment is one of the key factors that can determine the outcome of intervention. There is much strength in the study - not least that the children benefited from multidisciplinary assessment. More countries need to take a lead from this article; as the array of professionals, each wielding his/her own particular specialist and agenda, can be one of the most confusing and anxiety-provoking experiences for parents. [3] Often these assessments conducted by individual professionals can leave parents bewildered. One of the crucial findings in the study was that after the intervention, there was significantly increased awareness amongst the parents that remedial education was the recommended treatment for Specific Learning Disabilities (SpLD) and that it needs to be provided by a special educator. This is quite an accomplishment as it recognizes not only an appropriate understanding of the situation but also a significant attitude shift. It is this that can help to utilize the potential impact of parents to collaborate work as partners in the remediation of their child′s dyslexia. The study also found that almost all the parents after the intervention had an appropriate understanding of the term remediation. It is also significant that more than half the parents after the intervention appreciated that dyslexia was a lifelong disorder. As the authors point out, it can be too easy for children with SpLD to be rejected by their peers and fall victim to antisocial behavior. This view is supported by other researchers. [4] It is of great importance that the influence and the impact of parents are acknowledged at an early stage. This can only be successfully done if parents are educated to their child′s difficulties and have a shared understanding with other professionals on how to move forward. This study is important for these reasons - it promotes the role of parents and acknowledges the crucial role they play in assessment and intervention. Above all, it highlights the fact that with a single session, a difference can be made to parents′understanding and inevitably this will have a beneficial impact on the child. References
Copyright 2007 - Indian Journal of Medical Sciences |
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