Episode 10: In Conversation with Preeti Bomrah

Inclusion with Mansi

In Episode 10 we are in conversation with Preeti Bomrah who is a parent of three young girls, one of which we heard in episode 6 of this podcast.

Pravi is 17 years old and Pareena and Pareesa are 12 years old. Pravi is very positive and confident. Pareena is very sincere and Pareesa is a ‘cool dude’ kind of a kid and confident. They are all connected to each other. They have their own individuality. They make her feel proud as a mother.

Pravi was coping fine with school till writing was introduced. She was slow in writing and felt she needed more practice. There were some reversals. Spelling was also challenging. It was initially attributed to being 6 months younger in class. She was absolutely fine orally and could answer and explain well. She started avoiding any writing tasks. In school they brought it up in class 4. Went through a psychoeducational assessment and then it made sense why she responded in this way. She was not lazy and avoided writing tasks but she had genuine difficulty. Lucky to have been in The Orchid School as all the teachers were aware of the whole situation and was accepted as she is. She felt at par with the other kids. Her confidence now is all thanks to everyone in school. Other people mentioned that she might need to shift to a special school and has a handicap but she did not feel the need to do so. The school was supportive and helped her through her journey.

People are not aware of SLD and parents who go through it also don’t end up talking about it. The more people share their stories, you may see you are not alone.

Her experiences in her new school are different from what they were earlier. They do not understand what Dysgraphia is and are still figuring it out to support her adequately. She is learning how to self advocate and ask for what her rights are.

Each child has their own strengths and various things that they are good at doing. Parents and teachers are there to advocate for them till they learn to advocate for themselves. Remediation has helped her. She doesn’t have to think much about the strategies as they are ingrained in her and they come very naturally now.

Her family was supportive, especially her husband. They wanted to teach their daughter how to deal with it and be strong. Her difficulties have changed over time for sure but they don’t vanish. She now knows how to smartly handle them.

Tip for Parents: If your child is facing any difficulty, be confident and don’t panic, especially in front of the child. We are all possessive and protective about our kids. It is a part of life. Accept it as it is. When your kids see you strong and confident, they too feel the same. If you try to hide it or tell your child not to tell others, they feel something is wrong with them Which is not true. You don’t want their confidence to get low. Have an open conversation and accept it internally.

Pravi is confident and wants to take up English as her major in spite of having struggled with it. She feels comfortable enough with the subject and wants to study it further. She is writing all her applications by herself. All her peers have people to support her.

With Pareesa, she was trying to focus but was still struggling with simple day to day things like time management. She insisted on getting an evaluation. She was diagnosed with attention difficulties. She gets classroom support but no examination support. Online school has been very challenging for her. She has her own YouTube Channel. She is a ganny soul as she makes crochet and embroidery. It helps to work as a team with her teachers and her to support her in this.

Accept and support your child as they are. Believe in them, be positive, give positive vibes, do your best and the best will happen with your child as well.