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In spite of average or above average intelligence and adequate schooling, some children lag behind in their academic skill acquisition. These children are generally considered as learning disabled. Learning disabilities are diagnosed particularly when children start going to school and are engaged in academic activities with other children in the school.

Academic skill acquisition involves one or more of the basic psychological processes, such as attention, perception, memory, logical thinking and so on. When there is some deficit in these basic processes required in understanding or using language, spoken or written, it may be manifested in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. In spite of their average or above average intelligence, they have difficulty in learning scholastic skills.

Reading Disability

This disorder is diagnosed when a child has specific and significant impairment in the development of reading skills which is not due to poor intellectual functioning, visual or auditory acuity or poor schooling. It includes reading skills like reading comprehension, word recognition, oral reading skills and even impairment in skills that require reading.
Most of them have a history of specific developmental delays in speech and language acquisition. At the early stage, difficulties are observed mostly in learning an alphabetic script, in reciting the alphabet, in naming letters, rhyming words, in analysis or categorization of sounds. At a later stage, reading disorders may be manifested in omission, substitution, distortion or addition of words, slow reading rate, hesitations, reversals of words and even sentences, inability to comprehend, or recall what was read and so on. Difficulty in reading may be seen in other scholastic areas such as
arithmetic or writing.

Specific Writing Disability

The term ‘disorder of written expression’ was used by the American Psychological Association (APA, 2000) as a synonym for a specific writing disability. It is defined as “writing skills that fall substantially below those expected given the child’s chronological age, measured intelligence, and age-appropriate education”. Poor visual-motor coordination may also cause a significant problem in handwriting. Spelling difficulties are usually assessed by using individualized tests of spelling.

Specific Mathematics Disability

This is characterized by a specific impairment in basic computational skills such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication. It should not include difficulties in higher mathematical skills such as algebra, trigonometry, geometry or calculus. This should not be due to an intellectual, sensory, perceptual or neurological impairment or poor teaching-learning environment.

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Bullying can take the form of verbal abuses, physical assault, derisive comments, teasing and ganging up against a child or some children. Parents have an important role to play in handling bullying not only at home and neighborhood but also in schools.

The following measures are suggested for the same:

i) If bullying by their child is reported by the school or by the parents of other children, they should take immediate action.

ii) They could help their child to learn how they can get the same thing done without resorting to bullying.

iii) They should help the child understand what happens to the child who is bullied.

iv) On their part at home parents must make sure they do not bully the child to obey them and do what they desire the child to do.

v) They should act as role models for their children by using positive nonviolent methods to solve a problem or issue.

vi) They must make it clear to their children that bullying at any place will not be tolerated and would warrant punishment.

vii) They should nurture and build self-esteem and self-confidence in their child so that he or she neither bullies nor become victims of bullying.

Additional Important Tips

viii) Rewarding children with praise and appreciation for showing consideration to others would help in a big way.

ix) Making their children aware of the existence of bullies in school and outside and how to handle them with confidence would also help.

x) Parents should create an environment at home which gives importance to developing feelings of togetherness and bonding, where children can learn positive ways of dealing with difficult situations either at school or in the neighborhood.

xi) The parents should be a friend and philosopher to their own child so that he can trust parents and communicate their problems without any hesitation.

xii) Parents must help the child learn to be assertive in situations where it is required, e.g when facing a bully, the child can ask the bully to STOP that behavior quite assertively and not show timidity or fear.

xiii) Where necessary, the parent should take the principal or the teacher into confidence and request their help to prevent such bullying.

xiv) If one’s own child is timid, shy and withdrawn despite all the help that they give, it would be better to seek the help of an expert (a psychologist or school counselor) to help the child develop skills to overcome the deficiencies in his personality.

Finally, the above-mentioned measures can go a long way in not just curbing bullying behavior in children but also helping them not to develop other bad habits and thus make them mentally healthy.

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Parents have the major responsibility of inculcating in children discipline, healthy competitiveness, striving for excellence. Learning all about the rights and wrongs and the do’s and don’ts. Developing healthy relationships and adhering to family norms.

As well as learning how not to deviate from the norms as it may lead them to difficulties. Much of the growing days of children are spent in schools. Here they get to understand themselves and their environment better and through this, they also learn about their physical world.

School Vs. Family

Next, to the child’s family, the school plays an important role as an agent of socialization. The child is provided opportunities by the school to learn to explore and experiment both academically and in dealing with others. As well as becoming aware of his own strengths and weaknesses. This exploration is not always pleasant and smooth as it may lead the child into areas that have the potential to escalate into problems. For instance, the child may face the problem of being bullied in school. In certain cases, the child may manifest problems related to psychological and physical stresses.

Mental Health of Children

Mental health according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is ‘a state of wellbeing in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community’. A healthy mental state of Children is essential as it empowers them to flourish and develop in the right direction, thereby fostering developmental competencies in them.

At the same time, it must be remembered that success during early life does not depend on academic achievements alone, but vital to it is also developing a healthy personality and emotional competencies, which lead to psychological wellness.

Children have certain personality dispositions, for example, extroversion and introversion. While extroversion helps children to interact with others easily, share their joys and sorrows with their peers and family members, introversion makes children draw into themselves and manifest more of shyness and hesitate to interact with peers and others. Some children also show mood swings, uncontrollable behaviors, and impulsivity, which may make them lose interest in work and play.

In some cases, children may lie, steal and play truant from school and home. Such behaviors are indicative of problems within the child and if these continue for a long period of time they will need psychological help to overcome their problems.

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A history of child abuser, not only affects a child emotionally but also the development of the brain. The child feels the safest with the parent. But what happens when the parent becomes the abuser?

In Psychology, Munchausen syndrome by proxy is classified under the factitious disorder. A factitious disorder is a mental illness where the person would deliberately fake or exaggerate an illness and has two types. First is the one that the person imposes on self. Second is the one that the person imposes on other.

This is often accompanied by extreme emotional difficulties and stress.

A caregiver or a child abuser?

A child abuser will fall under the second category of this disorder. The person will falsify the symptoms of all illness in others under their care. Their victims are usually children, old people, any disabled person. This is more common in mothers. Their main intention is to seek other people’s attention. They could go up to a limit of harming their own child.

Early Signs

Most of the patients with the condition could have a history of one or more of the following:

• Child abuse/ neglect
• Trauma
• Unhealthy family environment
• Chronic illness to self or any family member
• Extended hospitalization of self or any family member
• Unhealthy social life
• People working in the healthcare sector.

It is believed that biological as well as psychological factors, both contribute to the development of this illness. The presence of several warning signs can be found in such a person. The child has a record of too many hospitalizations and symptoms reported are unusual. The reports and the diagnosis reported does not match. It is always the mother who reports about the decline in child’s health and there is no other witness. The child feels sick around when the mother is around. In the worst cases, one can find the poisonous substance child’s blood or urine. The presence of a similar scenario with siblings or death of a child in similar circumstances may also be a warning sign.

Effect on the child

The diagnosis of the disorder is very difficult. The people believe the parent instead of the child. Hence, such cases remain under-reported. We may feel it is just an attention seeking behaviour. But what we need to understand here is that a constant pattern of an unhealthy behaviour is not normal. More than the mother with the disorder, the child suffers. Falling prey of such a manipulator can lead to lifelong consequences.

Read more about child abuse- https://old.drprernakohli.in/child-abuse/

Learn more about Dr Prerna Kohli