With Anu (Anupama Sircar),
the first thing one remembers is that her human side comes across first. Not
many people come across like that because a lot of people are obsessed with
themselves, with what they are doing or thinking. Needless to say, it is always
a pleasure to meet her because there is always something to discuss, to laugh
about and in the most honest of ways. There is no artifice about her. To top it
all she has a warm and ready smile, a clear way of articulating things and the
humility to laugh at herself and the world. She genuinely likes people, life.
 |
| Anupama Sircar - At The Learning Graph |
I've known Anu, for a
long, long time now. But to put the order right, I've known her in-laws first.
Sircar Aunty who has been a steady encouragement in my writing journey, always
showing up for my book events, and always encouraging me despite all the trash
I wrote and showed to her, Amit (Anu's husband) who is always warm and
welcoming and ready to discuss music and movies and good times, and Ajanta
(Amit's sister) a dear friend (and another early die-hard supporter of my
improbable writing journey) who's probably the root connection being Shobha's
friend from school. Suffice to say, I know Anu for over two decades and more
now.
 |
| Happy in the Activity Room - She really loves her work |
When I heard that she had
started 'The Learning Graph', (spelt ‘thelearningraph’) a Remedial Therapy
center for children with dyslexia and ADHD I asked her if I could visit and do
an interview of hers. I had no idea what a remedial therapy center was
about (did not know too much about dyslexia or ADHD either) and wanted to know
more and see for myself what Anu was doing. (Another thing that you know of her
is that she is the kind of a person who goes about her work and her causes with
a lot of professionalism and care.) Anu was gracious enough to invite me over
and give me a lot of information about the wonderful work she is doing.
 |
| Busy with two keen students |
The
Learning Graph is a Remedial Therapy center
that focuses on children with dyslexia and ADHD mainly. As one can see in the
home page of the website, dyslexia is not a disability and has many advantages
- with a little help it can unlock a lot of creative stuff. (I loved the way
the two dys-lex-i-a's were juxtaposed and one struck off - the one about it
being an "impairment to recognise and comprehend written words" and
instead, the other one, which goes like "a learning advantage and a unique
ability to recognize and comprehend complex, visual patterns".) There is a
lot of information given about what dyslexia is (learning disability to
comprehend or recognize written words), what causes it (runs in the family, a
structural difference in the brain, requires alternate neurological pathways to
develop to strengthen that part), how to recognise symptoms (http://thelearningraph.com/dyslexia-symptoms - must read this section because it has such
comprehensive information), dyslexia remedy and its strengths. The Learning
Graph focuses on the segment of children with a learning disability in the
conventional sense, because to me, they seem equipped for something much more
than what normal chaps can handle. The Learning Graph aims nobly to dream of a
"world of equal opportunity for children where IQ and EQ are equally
important and every child possesses the academic, social and emotional skills
required to succeed in all spheres."
 |
| Explaining a teaching aid to me |
Anu is a certified
therapist and has completed her 'Remedial Therapist Course' from Ripples, an authorized
center. This course is a 6 month course and is comprehensive -
psychology, cognitive blocks, case studies in schools, at home, hypothetical
cases. She has also added a few more certifications to learn and know more
about the subject. The fact that she taught English at Bengaluru's Vidyashilp
School for a decade surely helps her to understand children and their
psychology.
 |
| Some of the many teaching aids that 'thelearningraph' uses |
I asked Anu why she chose
this area to work with. Anu said something that was very heartwarming - that in
all her years as a teacher at school she always felt for those who struggled at
the back of the class. The whole system was praising the top 5 and a whole
bunch of children were being left out. I love the underdog too and identify
with them, having been a backbencher all my life, so I can understand what it
must mean to have someone even think such thoughts about us.
The interview then.
Q. What does 'The Learning
Graph' do really?
Anu: We help the child
improve her or his learning curve. When we say child, we specifically work with
children with Learning Disability (LD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD). To explain this area of work some more, there are four broad
classifications in this area - Autism, Slow learners, Mentally Retarded and LD.
I chose the LD space because there are many in the other two areas who are far
more qualified and experienced.
Children with LD have an
average IQ and belong in the category of 90-110 range. So it’s difficult to
recognise symptoms. It's just that they have a neurological dysfunction. There
is no cure really but it is an established fact that with intervention and
support, the condition can be remedied if the child is brought under care at
the right time.
Q. What's the philosophy
behind the remedy for dyslexia?
Anu: At The Learning Graph
we believe that a qualified and experienced therapist is the best help for a
dyslexic student. With a structured, systematic design we promote
understanding, memory recall, use of spoken and written language. We use a
combination of methods such as cognitive intervention, phonics and word
analysis, spelling, word recognition and oral reading fluency, grammar and
syntax, text comprehension, hand-writing and study skills.
Q. What is the right time
for a child to come for support?
Anu: Intervention can
start at the age of 6. Typically it could take from a few months up to 2 years
to see some marked improvement in the child's abilities. |
| Anu explaining a chart to me |
Q. And how does one identify
the issue?
Anu: To identify the issue
one has to be aware, and not be in denial. Children with LD are like everyone
else. But they show signs like having trouble with reversals (confusing b with
a d), formation of letters, spellings, reading or just being slow. Just get an
assessment done and you can remedy the situation. (for more information please
visit http://thelearningraph.com/dyslexia-symptoms)
One other thing I'd like
to mention is that for some kids we just get an eye test done and that solves
it for them. All they need is a vision therapist and nothing else.
Q. What do you do once the
child comes under your care?
Anu: To start with we do a
Standard IQ Assessment test - or rather we have it done at one of the centers
in Hyderabad. It is done by a clinical psychologist. This test covers both IQ
and education assessment and is very detailed. It costs Rs. 9000 approx. and
takes time. It is done over a couple of weeks.
Unfortunately in Hyderabad
there are few centers that do the testing (Ripples is one). I am considering
adding testing as a service at The Learning Graph. There is a huge waiting time
for parents who wish to get the test done.
Based on the Standard IQ Assessment,
I prepare what we call the IEP or Individualised Education Plan. I do the IEP
myself. It takes into consideration attributes like reading, writing, spelling,
visual, auditory, sensory perception.
 |
| All set for her students |
As for the age group - the
child could be from 1st grade to 10th grade. Our interventions are typically
for three sessions a week, one hour per session. Interventions are a
combination of cognitive and academic exercises. For some learners we use the
kinesthetic medium - or other mediums - based on the multiple intelligence
theory.
Q. What are the services
that The Learning Graph provides?
Anu: Like I mentioned
above, we provide Informal Assessments, Academic Interventions (identify the
problem area, prepare interventions in reading, spelling, vocabulary, creative
writing etc), Cognitive Interventions (memory, attention, spatial orientation,
auditory and visual perception). We also do Parent Empowerment sessions that
deal with Child Management and how to track the child's learning curve. We have
a behavior modification sheet based on the ABC model where the parent keeps a
record of the Antecedent (activator), Behavior and Consequence and observes
what happened pre and post incident.
Q. What are the aids you
use to improve the child's learning graph?
Anu: We use several aids.
Blocks, Mazes, Puzzles, Cognitive games, Reading cards (progressive), Worksheets
(Anu herself developed and designed over a 100 worksheets for children), some
Montessori material as well, the Fleurestein Instrumental Enrichment Kit. The
children go through a well structured program that has a proper plan. Progress
is monitored on a daily basis, feedback is given and child motivated for the
next session. If they do well over a week, after the regular positive
reinforcement that we normally give, we give them an additional incentive of a
smiley score card that is up for everyone to see. The children are quite happy
here. They miss other sessions but not these.
 |
| Anu explaining a chart that helps spatial orientation |
Q. How many children have
you handled so far? and how has the experience been?
Anu: I completed my
certification course in 2012. Unlike many others who work in schools I chose to
work from home after my course. My work requires one-on-one attention. I can at
best handle two at a time. So far I have handled 50 children in the past three
years.
Turning them around has
been the most fulfilling part of the journey. To see their improvement, their
confidence, to see the sparkle in their eyes makes me happy. Many show
improvement early, in two months, and most show improvement over a period of
time. The longest we have had is one child who was with us for two years.
Here I want to mention
that all the stakeholders need to tune into the child and their learning graph
during this period for maximum effect. Parents, school have to be in line with
what we are trying to achieve as well. For example if parents let the child
watch television for hours on end, it will impact the work we have done. I am
pretty strict at that. I prescribe that the child watches no more than 30
minutes of television. The parent must enforce discipline in the child's
interest and not give in to every whim.
Q. Do they regress
sometimes?
Anu: Sometimes they do.
They come back for a refresher course.
Q. What are the typical
challenges you face?
Anu: All challenges I face
are in dealing with parents. Most don't accept that something is wrong with the
child. Schools themselves are supposed to give certain provisions which they do
not. They do just enough to show that they are doing something in that area.
I'd love to see more awareness in schools to support such children, treat these
children with more care and sensitivity. Schools need more resources and need
to get more organized to deal with these children. All schools now have one
resource person but most need more than one resource person.
Q. What are the future
plans for The Learning Graph?
Anu: I am keen to expand
the scope of this venture and take Remedial Therapy to economically backward
children in government schools etc. For this I worked a bit with Priya
Kosalaram, who works with economically backward children to help with their
homework.
My big dream is to create
a school for students with LD and ADHD. Hyderabad still lacks facilities for
dyslexics. There are about 40 remedial therapists here - we are constantly in
touch. But in Chennai there are full fledged schools that offer the entire
spectrum - testing, sensory integration, remedial therapy and even a school.
 |
| A detailed lesson plan |
Q. What are the big
lessons you learned on the journey?
Anu: That these children
respond most to a personal touch, that emotional bond. Call it love if you
will. When you remember the name of the child, remember what they like, they
are so happy. Like one kid who comes here who is so happy that I remember that
she eats a dosa everyday. She loves it when I mention it to her. I talk to them
about the music they listen to, movies they see, remember their birthdays and
get them cupcakes, give them feedback. They love being treated with love, affection,
care.
Q. What is it like in the
child's mind? Did you ever get a peek there? Their fears and apprehensions?
Anu: Yes. It’s scary for
them. They know they are not able to cope and do not know how to handle it.
Like some code is missing. Like this child who learned everything here and did
well - he would get stressed out asking me if he would remember everything in
the school, how he will remember, if it’s ok to remember one answer out of
five. They feel the gap, they are scared.
Q. Who are the other
specialists in the area that you work with?
A. There are vision
therapists, speech therapists, sensory therapists. Sensory therapy is a big
area.
Q. How has the experience
changed you as a person?
A. It has made me stronger
and more determined. It has certainly made me more patient. I am so charged up
to do more - there's so much work to do in this area. I love this work.
By this time some of the
children started to come in. I watched Anu and her colleague deal with the
children in a professional and yet gentle and encouraging manner. The children
did their exercises seriously, smiling in between, getting applause for the
good work. It was a fun place to be for them and one could sense that. The
place has a nice, warm energy and you don't expect anything but that from
Anu.
 |
| Some of the 100 worksheets Anu has developed in the shelves behind her |
The Learning Graph
conducts events regularly - Graded Reading Program, Spelling Bee, Handwriting
competitions, Reading with Expression and Fluency, Diya Making, Empowering the
Parent, Fast Track Classes in Summer and Learning to Write Right, Enrichment
Programs.
For further details check
out the website www.thelearninggraph.com. You can reach Anupama Sircar at 99634 42662, 96182 37838
(centre) or email her at anupamasircar@hotmail.com,
anupama@thelearninggraph.com.
The address
The Learning Graph, Flat
201, 2nd Floor, Surya Classic Apartments, Kakatiya Hills, Madhapur,
Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.
No comments:
Post a Comment