This is considered to be an effect of a recent Hindi movie Tare Zameen Par (Little Stars on Earth) which highlighted the subject of learning disability among children and sensitised the parents and teachers as well.

Good Heart, a charitable fundraising organisation, in association with Special Care Centre, a school for special needs children, recently organised a special screening of Taare Zameen Par at National Cinema in Abu Dhabi.

According to the organisers, the movie evoked tremendous response from parents. The movie was watched by expatriates as well as nationals with the same enthusiasm.

Isabelle Le Bon, head of Good Heart and board member of Special Care Centre, said, “The initiative was made to share this beautiful and powerful movie with parents, teachers and the public at large. Organising such gatherings is part of our mission to raise awareness about special needs children.”

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dr. Yousuf El Tijani, consultant psychiatrist at Al Noor Hospital, said, “Of late, we have been receiving more patients and more calls from parents. Parents have been discussing many symptoms regarding their children’s learning problems.”

Dr El Tijani said, “Learning disability or dyslexia is related to difficulty in spelling, mathematical problems, reading, writing and recognising the words properly. Most of the time, the child gets confused while writing some similar letters as well. All this happens due to lag in maturation.”

Find the lapse

“It is difficult for all the parents to find out this lapse in the child, but when things get complicated in learning, it comes forth. Teachers can discover these kinds of symptoms first. Those parents who study their children and spend time with them seriously might discover this learning disability,” he added.

Regarding teachers, Dr El Tijani said, “Teachers in the school need to be provided specialised remedial classes on how to treat children and how they could detect the learning disabilities among children.”

He also stressed that fathers should pay proper attention to their children in all aspects.

According to the principal of the Abu Dhabi Indian School, V.K. Mathu, “The movie has become a starting point to begin a discussion on the subject. In March we will hold a workshop on the subject.”

Mathu said, “The movie pinpointed various issues related to the children and we will focus on them.”

“I advise all parents and teachers to watch this movie because it professes about the real life situation in a very measured way,” Mathu added.

What parents say

Jeorge Itty from India, who has two children, said, “Every child is created with a specific calibre and we should not impose our self-styled interests on them. We need to find out the child’s calibre and polish the talents that they have in themselves.”

Itty added, “Due to under-achievement of children we should never mistreat or bother them. It further spoils their creativeness and lands them in depression. We need to find out the lapse.”

An Emirati woman from Abu Dhabi, Salama Amer, who watched the movie, said, “I watched the movie with a group of parents and Special Care Centre people. The movie was precisely touching and addressed many lapses. We need to understand our children and not force them to do what irks them. Every child has a different calibre so we should find out that talent in them. It is not proper to expect that every child must become a doctor and engineer.” Amer has two children below six years.

Vijay Poonoosamy, head of Government and International Affairs in Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi, said, “The film urges us to no longer be satisfied with perceptions and to try to see things from the child’s perspective as well. This leads to real and effective communication with the child and allows us to love and care for the child.”

Poonoosamy is from Mauritius and has two daughters aged six and four.