Now special books for kids with intellectual disabilities

Children with intellectual disabilities will now find it easy to learn English as the English Language Teaching Institute (ELTI) is preparing to roll out books that have been specially designed for such students in primary classes.

The move comes after directions from State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

The State Institute of Education and State Hindi Institute in Varanasi are also working on similar books.

The team that has worked on these books includes academicians, doctors working in the field of intellectual disability and teachers experienced in teaching children with special needs.

ELTI Principal Skand Shukla said, "Such children usually have limitations in two areas. The first is intellectual functioning - the ability to learn- reason, make decisions and solve problems. The second is adaptive behaviour which involves skills necessary to communicate and taking care of oneself. These children might also be diagnosed with other learning disabilities like dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder."

The books have been designed differently to focus on the special needs of such children.

For instance, the pictures are colourful, while the text is in bigger fonts. Topics are presented in a way that they invoke a students' curiosity. These books also have formats to document a child's case history into an individualised education programme.

Shukla said that intellectual disability is a condition when one's IQ level is less than 70 and the mental growth is slower than the person's physical growth.

"A child with an IQ over 50 can be educated by using special methods. Autism, attention deficit disorder and Down's syndrome are some of the conditions related to intellectual disability," he explained.