Dyslexia ADDventures

In Episode 2, Dyslexia - A Neurological Perspective our guest is Dr Rema Chandramohan Director, Institute of Social Paediatrics, Govt. Stanley Medical College, Chennai. In a career spanning over two decades Dr Rema, a Paediatrician, has worked in various capacities in Neonatology, Developmental Paediatrics and Social Paediatrics in Madras Medical College Chennai, Institute of Child Health, Chennai and Kanyakumari Govt. Medical College and Hospital. The Podcast is available here:  Episode 2 - A Neurological Perspective with Dr Rema Chandramohan Spotify Apple Podcasts

 I am hosting a podcast dedicated to everything dyslexia. I hope to upload one episode a month. Yes, creating podcasts is not the only thing I do. Therefore, I am confining myself to a single episode a month, which in itself requires some multi-tasking gymnastics on my part. I have a day job and kids to raise and it's pretty hectic.  Dyslexia is close to my heart since one of my daughters is dyslexic. I want to share my experience of 'discovering' dyslexia, accepting it and helping my daughter cope with it, until she found the dyslexic advantages within herself to zero in on her passion, which she is following at the moment. She is working towards making her passion into her career. In Episode 1: Dyslexia - An Introduction, Geetha Raghavan, a special educator who has been working with dyslexic children for close to three decades explains how dyslexia was perceived in our country thirty years ago and how our understanding of the condition has progressed since then. Geetha Ra...

What is Executive Function? “The executive functions are a set of processes that all have to do with managing oneself and one’s resources in order to achieve a goal. It is an umbrella term for the neurologically-based skills involving mental control and self-regulation.” Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parents’ Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning by Joyce Cooper-Kahn and Laurie Dietzel What does the above definition mean? Executive functions help us manage life-skills which are necessary to navigate daily-living all through our life. You need executive functions to plan and get through your day, study for an exam, research a project or plan a holiday. However, organizing is only one of these important skills. Intellectual ability is different from having good executive functions. Very bright children can have weak executive functioning. Like other cognitive skills, the executive functions follow a developmental course. Development of these imp...

Every parent I have met, goes through the emotion of disbelief, pain, guilt, not necessarily in that order, when they come to know their child has ‘difficulty’ with learning ( It’s not difficulty or disability but the brain’s ability to learn differently – Neuroplasticity ). Going through these emotions is normal. But at the end of it, I have to rationalise and prepare to take the next step. The first step towards dealing with learning difference in our child is acceptance, which is unconditional. The moment we accept, the perspective shifts. I don’t look at the situation with trepidation and fear, but with acceptance and love. With acceptance and love comes the ability to find approaches to help our child become learning independent. This is important since young children require adult intervention to become learning independent. In our culture, we place undue emphasis on the written word. When a child has difficulty with the written word, we bludgeon the child with an ove...

Watch how Veeru Murugappa did it. He's the founder of Coromandel Productions. Interview courtesy: Madras Dyslexia Association

Chef Venkatesh Bhat was at his inspiring best when he spoke with frankness about how he managed his dyslexia to become a successful chef. Watch the interview here: Interview courtesy: Madras Dyslexia Association

When I met Vaishnavi* for the first time, she came across as a soft-spoken woman – spry and energetic in her sixties. Her eyes exude kindness and compassion. In reality, this façade props up a woman of steel. She’s a terrific lady. And once you get to know her, you’ll realise she’s a storehouse of knowledge on supporting a child with learning differences, as a parent and as a teacher. Listen to her story of struggle and triumph in her son’s turbulent voyage through school; and how he emerges victorious because his mum believed in him and stood by him. Listen to Vaishnavi's story: *Name changed on request.

My daughter learned to bake three varieties of tea cake at Big Man's Bakery - Dry Fruit Tea Cake, Queen's Cake and Madelines. You must try them. They're wonderful, all warmth and contentment. Tea Cakes

Don’t panic! Intervention for language difficulties won’t start until she is 6-7 years old at least. That’s by Class 1 or 2.   If her school teachers are well-trained they’ll spot it by that time. Since most of our children go to schools where the average class strength is 40 students per class, and each class has anywhere between 5 to 10 sections depending on how much space is available to the school, teachers are burdened to finish ‘portions’ for examinations (Yes! We are a nation obsessed with exams and scoring well in exams). Many teachers (and parents) believe LD and dyslexia are conferred on children as an excuse for laziness. Some think it’s a lifestyle disorder (I never get this!), others say it’s bad parenting (Yeah, the jam bottle you produced stinks!). A good thrashing will exorcise any semblance of dyslexia and its ilk out of the child! (universal remedy for ‘curing’ a child off bad behaviour, disrespecting elders, the list can go on.)   Most teachers...

I knew LD/ADHD is genetic only after my daughter was assessed for it. However, you can catch the signs much earlier if you’re observant. You instinctively know something is ‘off’ by the time the child is two and a half to 3 years old. I never knew anything about Dyslexia , LD , or ADHD . In my case, the revelation did not appear like a bolt from the clear blue sky, but was a gradual affirmation of all I felt and knew was ‘off’ with my daughter. Much of the knowledge I gained is in hindsight, but it is knowledge which empowered me to advocate for my child. Here’s what my child did: Kicked like crazy and moved constantly in the womb. Remained in the womb even after 9 months.   Just made the minimum birth weight cut off. She spoke very early, by 8-9 months (many children also have delayed speech, beyond 2 years). She did not crawl, instead she waddled on her knees like a penguin on roller skates. And then, one day (11-12 months) she stood up and ran. She couldn’t s...

Nine years ago when my daughter was assessed for ADHD  and Dyslexia  she was five years old, my husband was 33. For him our daughter’s ‘diagnosis’ was like cool droplets of rain on a hot summer day. Blessed relief! He realised he was not weird or crazy. The diagnosis gave him a better perspective of his struggle as a young adult in school. Many of his inadequacies as an adult now seemed solvable and something he could deal with. It was only learning difficulty and he could cope with that! My way of coping was to equip myself with knowledge. I devoured books on ADHD and Dyslexia. (I think all of us have LD in a fashion! But when it comes in the way of daily living and impedes the ability to realise our potential, we have to seek help.) I understood Learning Disability (LD) /ADHD is primarily genetic  and runs in families. I saw a pattern. My husband and father-in-law. At least three immediate blood relatives of my father-in-law (I don’t want to name them). I am not ...