“FIELDWORK AT ANJALI MORRIS FOUNATION”

A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED BY

NAME: TANVI NAHAR

1943

FOR THE

PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT

OF THE

AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF

M.A. IN PSYCHOLOGY

AT

FERGUSSON COLLEGE

PUNE - 411004

(2014-15)
Declaration

I, Ms / Mr. TANVI NAHAR a student of M.A. from the Department of Psychology,

Fergusson College, Pune University, declare that the following report of a project
titled “…..” is an independent work done by me and submitted as the partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of M.A. in Psychology
under the University of Pune.

Signature:

Name: TANVI NAHAR

D.E. Society’s

Fergusson College, Pune

Certificate

This is to certify that TANVI NAHAR has successfully completed the project namedFieldwork
at Anjali Morris Foundation towards the partial completion of M. A. (Psychology)
Course of the University of Pune, in the academic year 2014-2015.

Dr. Shobhana Abhyankar (Dr. Megha Deuskar)

Vice-Principal and Head Project In-charge.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

3. PROJECTS PARTICIPATED IN

4. INTERVIEW WITH THE STAFF AND THE PARENTS

5. PERSONAL TAKEAWAYS
 CHAPTER-1

INRODUCTION

“No other disabling condition affects so many people and yet has such a low public profile and

low level of understanding as LD”, Washington Summit 1994 (Reid L, et al., 1994).

Learning disability or specific learning disability is a lifelong neuro-developmental disorder

which onset is marked in the childhood as constant difficulties in learning to read efficiently ,

write or carry out basic mathematical calculations despite of having a normal intelligence,

conventional schooling, intact hearing and vision, adequate motivation and socio-cultural

opportunity. Kirk (1962), defined learning disability “as a retardation, disorder or delayed

development in one or more of the processes of speech, language, reading, spelling, writing or

arithmetic resulting from a possible cerebral dysfunction and/or emotional or behavioral

disturbance and not from mental retardation, sensory deprivation, or cultural or instructional

factors”. It is now known that a learning disability has no roots with mental retardation. The

learning disabled children commonly have a high IQs. It is also manifested as a single disorder,

but includes multiple manifestations in different areas related to reading, language and

mathematics. As we have seen during the past few years thankfully the understanding and

perception regarding learning disability has changed. However, it still faces a terrific challenge to

identify, diagnose and assist children with LD. As the concept is still new and still seeking for

awareness in many developing countries including India, the research have conducted in regard

to learning disability but is still in the infancy stage and a lot more has to be done. Since no

national census of the learning disabled has been conducted in our country yet, it is tricky to

come to the actual number and have an estimation of the widespread. In India one of the major
problems is the learning disabled children are not identified using reliable tests. However, at least

10% of children in India have a learning disability with no developed intervention and awareness

about the same. There are three to four males for every female with reading disabilities (Spafford

& Grosser, 1996). About 1 per cent of school age children have mathematics disabilities

(dyscalculia), which is approximately one of every five children with learning disabilities.

We do not have a noticeable idea about incidence and prevalence of the disability in India. Facts

and studies have suggested that the early diagnosis of learning disability in children is

significantly imperative to identify and suggest remedial solutions to the parents and children to

understand about the learning disability who lack of awareness about it which hamper success of

the child later. Unfortunately there are various confounding factors such as English as a foreign

language, lack of proper education system in India expose children to difficulties. Teachers

recognize the learning difficulties to a “language problem” or “a weak student”, not realizing that

LD too is a language based disorder.

DSM -IV which outlines three major types of learning disorders: reading disorder, mathematics

disorder and disorders of written expression. The common types of Learning Disabilities are

explained below;

i. Dyslexia- Results due to difficulty in processing language. Children with Dyslexia

have problems in reading, writing and speaking. Dyslexia is the most commonly

widespread type of LD affecting in children. It has specific difficulty in the area of

reading. The terms generally used as a substitute of dyslexia are specific reading

disabilities, word blindness, severe reading disability and primary reading disability,.

It has been estimated that of approximately 10% to 15% of the population manifest
 problems in reading and about 85% to 90% percentage of all learning disabled

children have reading problems which shows us how common the disorder is .When

talked about the gender ratio Boys with reading problem outnumber girls at the rate of

4 to 1. The word dyslexia signifies the meaning difficulty with words. As mentioned

earlier, it affects a child’s ability to read. According to various studies and research it

has shown its link with the neurological origin which is likely to be present at birth

and the effects of the dysfunction are lifelong. It is characterized by difficulties with

accurate and /or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.
Reading remediation interventions if given at right stage can improve the condition to

a large extinct for children with reading disabilities which aims to improve the child’s

sight reading and phonics. Sight reading deals with memorizing the words by the

sight of it. It can be addressed by exercises that include vocabulary building, sight

learning, root word learning, prefix and suffix. There are also programs aiming at

improving phonics that deals with recognizing and remembering the association

between different sounds and letters using various approaches such as the Fernal-

Keller, Gillimgham- Stillman approach.

ii. Dysgraphia – deals with the difficulty with writing- usual signs of the problems are

difficulty with handwriting, spelling, and organization of ideas into sentences.

Disorders of written language are referred as dysgraphia which consists of difficulties

in three major areas of handwriting, spelling, and content. Usually these areas are

intertwined problems and it is expected that if a child has problems in any one of

these areas have a higher possibility to experience a spill over in the others too. Most

disabled children complain, hate to write and constantly try to avoid it wherever it

possible. Lack of motivation in these children to write becomes an obstacle and it is

 very vital for a teacher to be her creative when it comes to encouraging learning

disabled child to write. One the major practice of intervention is improvisation of the

handwriting. Also we see in the Phonetic understanding that is again worked about so

that the problem with spellings can be targeted. Certain spelling rules can also be

taught to the child to make it easier for him such as e.g., i before e except after

spelling of word roots as well as prefixes and suffixes and mnemonic strategies for

remembering the spelling of specific irregular words.

iii. Dyscalculia – Dyscalculia deals with the difficulty with math which has problems

with carrying out mathematical problems, understanding time, using money etc.

The child is unable to reason. Henschen in 1991 had reported that number

blindness could also occur independently of having specific reading disability.

Some researchers observed that memory and order disorders often occurred along

with numerical problems. Dyscalculia could be a result from lesions in widely

disparate regions of the brain and brain damage. Dysfunctions associated within

left temporal lobe were characterized by difficulties with complex operations

involving a sequence of steps or mental or oral calculation or reasoning. Children

exhibit defects in shape discrimination, size discrimination, sets and number

counting. When we talk about the intervention the first step is to trace where the

child is facing problem- multiplication, addition, division. Concept of zero and

then make use of more pictorial representation, abstract methods, rule of

BODMAS to make it easy for the child.

Characteristics of Learning Disabled Children

Learning-disabled children encounter difficulties in the process of learning.

-Children with LD show signs of a major educational discrepancy between what their learning

potential is and what they actually show.

-Learning difficulties take place in the acquisition and use of language such as, listening,

speaking, reading, writing and reasoning or mathematical ability.

- Due to perceptual and cognitive deficits such as poor discrimination of letters, reversal,

identification and grouping, the problem solving skills are very poor and are common

- They have difficulty in comprehending concrete and abstract words and also fail to make

connections between two words, sentences and paragraphs due to the verbal though disruption

-Non verbal thought disruption may also be observed such as a failure to complete work , getting

easily distracted by others. It is also seen they usually have confusion in the direction and their

left-right orientation is weak.

-Attention deficits such as failure fix their attention and stay on tasks to completion is seen

commonly in these children.

-Display symptoms of impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattentiveness.

-Memory deficits especially in short-term memory can be found in many children.

- They may show social immaturity and deficits in other social skills.

-These children have a history of recurring failures, might have a low self-concept and encounter

problems with peer relationships.

-Many of them show emotional troubles such as mood disturbances, anxiety and depression.

The need for early detection of learning disabilities all comes down to potential. Although

learning disabilities all occur due to the way the brain is structured or in the way it functions, the

problem emerges in different ways and at different ages from one child to the next. Children who

may initially be thought to having a lower intelligence than their peers may have normal

intelligence, but as mentioned that have a problem learning that prevents them from reaching

their potential or desired goal. Learning disabilities do not go away. Instead, they tend to grow

more problematic as time is allowed to pass. Getting behind in third grade may not seem like a

significant problem. Once they reach fourth grade, and then fifth, the impact of the learning

disabilities become more apparent, but the children have already fallen well behind. By this

point, children are feeling a lack of confidence and becoming more frustrated, sometimes

resulting in their acting out. On the other hand, when the learning disability is recognized early

on, steps can be taken to help the children to obtain the life skills needed for a successful life

throughout adulthood. Early diagnosis not only improves the child’s ability to reach their

academic potential, but also prevents the development of low self-esteem and behavior problems

that further interfere with their ability to learn. Without early diagnosis, the potential to develop

the skills they need to have a normal, successful life as an adult can be greatly reduced.

Causes of learning disorders

Genetic or Heredity Factors

According to various studies and findings it is suggested that one of the highy possible cause of

Learning disabilities is that they are genetically underlined with genetic traits manifesting

themselves in the neuro-anatomy and neurophysiology of the child. The physiological- structural

characteristics determine the manifestation of the disorder. Studies concerning the genetic theory

state that the learning disorder run in families. There are various findings that highlight the fact

that genes on chromosome 15 or 6 may cause reading disorder for a minority of individuals

(Pennington, 1991).

Neurological Factors

Neurological theories state that learning disabilities is a resultant of structural damage or

abnormal development of our nervous system. Problems could arise during the prenatal or

postnatal period of pregnancy, as it is very important time for the development of the nervous.

Additionally injury in the head, lack of oxygen, contact to toxins, seizures and nutritional

deficiencies may be an underlining factor to central nervous system damage. Studies indicate

that Children with mathematical disorders have deficits in neuropsychological functions due to

the damage in the right hemisphere (Rao, 2003).

Environmental Factors

As we all know the importance of the environmental factors in the manifestation of a disorder. In

learning disorder environmental factors do play a primary role in many cases causing brain

dysfunctionality. Factors such as malnutrition, prematurity, poor prenatal, post natal health care,

stress during the childhood, experiences in school, teaching and also poor parenting can be a

contributing factor leading to have a negative impact on the learning. Such conditions might lead
to emotional disturbances. Studies have also highlighted that social and cultural deprivation can

contribute to learning disabilities.

ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Cognitive Assessments

Assessment of General Cognitive Functioning as measured on standardized tests for intelligence.

The following tests may be used.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R; Wechsler, 1974):

One of the most commonly used intelligence test for the diagnosis of learning disability is

WISC-R which is widely used in the clinical setting to rule out learning disability. It consists of

11 sub tests further divided into two scales: verbal and performance.

Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM):

Another widely used test to administer perception and thinking among children is coloured

progressive Matrices (CPM). The test is a non verbal performance test assessing the IQ of an

individual. The test can be administered individually or could also be a group administration.

Norms are provided of 5-11 years.

Malin’s Intelligence Scale for Indian Children (MISIC): Malin’s is an Indian adaptation of the

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Norms for the test are provided for children of 6-15

years of age.
Educational Assessments

When we want to assess learning disability we also take in account of the level of achievement

of the child by administering educational test. The test involves assessment of the following

dimensions of learning such the basic learning skills, reading and listening comprehension,

mathematical reasoning and comprehension , written comprehension.

• Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Educational Achievement Revised (WJ-R; Woodcock-Johnson,

1989).

• Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests- Revised (WRMT-R; Woodcock, 1987).

• Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (K-TEA; Kaufman and Kaufman, 1985).

Assessment of Special learning disability

In addition cognitive and behavioral assessments a battery of tests called as NIMHANS Index of

Specific Learning Disabilities which was developed at NIMHANS, Bangalore is used to rule out

the strengths and deficits of the child in academic skills.

There are two levels of this index. They are: Level I for children 5-7 years and Level II for 8-12

years.

The index comprises of the following tests:

a. Attention test (Number cancellation).

b. Visuo-motor skills (the Bender Gestalt test and the Developmental test of Visuo – Motor

integration). c. Auditory and Visual Processing (discrimination and memory).

d. Reading, writing, spelling and comprehension.

e. Speech and Language including Auditory behaviour (Receptive Language) and Verbal

expression.

f. Arithmetic (Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fraction)

CHAPTER-2

ANJALI MORRIS FOUNDATION

Origin

The Dr. Anjali Morris Education & Health Foundation (AMF) was founded by Dr. Anjali Morris

& Late Mr. Umakant Joshi in 2003 to enable academic success in students with Learning

Disabilities/Disorders by teaching them strategies and skills in individual & group settings. The

Bridging Over Learning Differences (BOLD) program of the Morris Family Fund was started by

Dr. Anjali Morris in 2003, with the Vision to provide academic assistance and support to students

who face extraordinary challenges in the classrooms because of learning difficulties. The

organization was set up with the vision to make assessment and remediation of Learning

Disorder available to students, in Pune. They aim at providing specialized support and

interventions to children with potential LD’S become effective learners and productive members

of society.

About the foundation

The Dr. Anjali Morris Education and Health Foundation, also known as Anjali Morris

Foundation (AMF) is a Pune based non-profit organization. That seeks to help students with

Learning Disorders (LDs) by offering remedial educational assistance and also works in the

segment of training teachers to work with students with difficulties. The institution has worked

with around 4000 students till now. The organization till now has tied up with various schools

and organization where they work with their students in the field of remediation as well in the

area of providing training to teachers.

The core team

ANJALI Mrs. Uma

MORRIS
(CEO)
(Founder and
Patron)
 Mrs. Freny
Tarapore, 

Mrs. Malati
Kalmadi

Board of Directors Mrs. Harsheela

Mansukhani,

Mrs. Katayun
Currawalla

Mrs. Sonali Rao

Morris Foundation is a team of 62 members. The team includes professionals from varied team.

This contingent of 60 members includes the core team of the Founder, CEO, Board of Directors,

the executive operational staff, the technical staff, the managers, Counselors, Resource Teacher

and the support Staff.

The foundation that I worked with was a team of 24 including a team of Resource Teachers,

Counselors, HR’s and a Technical staff and the support staff. This team was headed by a team of

two Managers. A team of senior resource teachers and counselors worked under these two

Managers and reported them respectively. This team of senior resource teacher and counselors

then supervised and managed a new group of teachers and shadowed them.
 Various programs offered by the institution

For Students:

1. BOLD

The BOLD program provides individualized supportive education services to students with

diagnosed Learning Disorders (LDs) at several partner schools, the resource centre, and satellite

centres in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Students experiencing difficulties in the classroom are referred to the foundation by parents or

the school counselors. Once the child is referred the Resource Teachers (RTs) individually assess

these students and identify deficits or weaknesses ruling out the area of difficulty. After the

assessment procedure is conducted and the child is evaluated, the foundation tailors an

Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for each student and provides them with remedial

intervention services (individually or in small groups) in the student’s language of instruction.

Student progress is regularly reviewed with parents and classroom teachers.

Objective

To identify students with LDs and provide individualized remedial education services by trained

professionals.

Process

1. Identification:

 Class teachers and RTs work together to screen students struggling with academics at

school.

2. Assessment:
 With parental consent and a case history, RTs perform assessments.

 Validated tests assess each student’s academic skills in the areas of reading, writing,

spelling, language and math. The resulting written report identifies the student’s specific LDs and

recommends specific strategies and remediation to parents and teachers.

 Based on the report, the RT tailors an IEP for each student.

 The goals and objectives stated in the IEP are explained to parents. The RTs also counsels

parents on how they can help their child.

3. Intervention:

 RTs work with student(s) (individually or in small groups) using evidence-based

strategies and interventions to enhance skills in the core academic areas of reading, writing and

math.

 Behavioral interventions are provided to students needing behavioral modification.

 Sessions are conducted at school premises or at the Morris Foundation Resource Centres.

 Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals and objectives are reviewed and modified at

periodic intervals.

4. Communication:

 Parents and teachers are apprised of student’s progress on a quarterly basis.

 At the end of the academic year, a final progress report is provided. At this time, parents

may request a copy of their child’s IEP.

The final progress report includes:

 Student’s strengths and needs at the start of the year

 Strategies and tools used for remediation successes

  Continuing challenges

 Recommendations for the following school year

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Many Medical professionals and psychologists with expertise in ADHD have collaborated with

the Foundation to help with identification and assessment of students who may face difficulties

with inattentiveness and/or hyperactivity. Students identified with ADHD are treated with a

combination of remediation, medical intervention, counseling and behavioral therapy, and

assistive technology. Family members and school teachers are an integral part of the multi-

disciplinary team and remediation taken place.

Objective

To identify students with ADHD and help them succeed through appropriate diagnosis and

medical treatment by trained medical professionals.

Process

1. Identification:

 Students suspected of having ADHD may be referred by school staff or parents. They

may show signs of ADHD when they are being assessed for Learning Disorders (LDs).

2. Assessment:

 Students are screened with appropriate rating scales. Information about the student is also

obtained from parents and school staff. Students who fit the diagnostic criteria are referred to

the pediatrician and the psychiatrist for checkup and evaluation.

3. Intervention:
 Treatment options are explained to parents. These may include a combination of

academic interventions, counseling, behavior modification measures and, if necessary,

medication.

 Following written consent from the parent

For Parents:

Parent Education Workshops

The foundation believes that the parents play an integral part in supporting their children with

Learning Disorders (LDs) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) and hence they

can learn various strategies and skills that might cater their children need to succeed in school.

The institution focuses on building such skills and theoretical base with the help of experienced

Resource Teachers through the presentation of theory and case studies. The instructor

demonstrates specific skills and strategies that parents can use to build on the child’s identified

strengths and assist the child in compensating for any weaknesses. These are followed by

practical applications through group discussions and role-play that involve parent participation.

Through this process, parents understand their children’s learning problems (in handwriting,

spelling, reading, and math) and learn strategies and skills to support them at school and at home.

‘Nishchay’ – Parent Support Group

Parents of children with LDs and ADHD formed this group to create a supportive environment in

which they can share apprehensions, discuss strategies, and celebrate successes. Resource
Teachers share their expertise on learning disorders and ADHD, and offer particulars of statutory

regulations issued by the Government.

CHAPTER-3

PROJECTS I PARTICIPATED IN
I got an opportunity to work with one of the most successful and functional organization

dedicated to the field of learning disorder. The experience was very enriching. As I completed

34 hours of my internship I had a good ground understanding of not only the disorder as a whole

but the functioning of a mental health organization.

On the very first few days under the guidance of my coach teacher Mrs. Mrunal Patel I was

oriented about the working of the organization and the programs that the organization provided

to support its clients to cater their needs and was instructed to observe. A brief understanding

about the objectives and the vision of the organization was created. The main vision of the

organization is to make specialized support and intervention to students with learning disabilities

so that they become effective learners and productive members of the society. The center that I

worked with was solely dedicated towards assessment and identification of potential LD’s and

provides them with remediation programs. After setting up a ground about the functioning of the

organization the coach focused on building up my theoretical roots about the learning disorders

by providing me various handbooks on the same with an objective of creating a deeper

understanding that could guide the assessment and remediation sessions conducted by the

resource teacher. Being an Intern I eventually got an opportunity to experience the BOLD

program with a closer view. As the program aims at identification, assessment and remediation, I

got the opportunity to have a closer look and work with each process.

Along with the exposure to observe the steps of the BOLD closely I also got the chance to

contribute to the administrative work of the organization in the form Data Entry and research.

One approach that we followed all throughout my internship was to first, build up a theoretical

base and then try one’s hand on. As mentioned earlier in the initial few days the coach provided
me with various reading resources on LD’s and later I got the opportunity to observe various

sessions on remediation dealing with Dyslexia. Being solely an observer my task was to sit and

observe how remediation in groups took place in steps. I got an opportunity to observe handful

of session where the RT’s worked with students with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, which gave me a

great insight about the strategies used in the process and how to structure worksheets for the

sessions. Once a handful amount of session was observed by me the coach instructed me to

develop various worksheets to cater various aims during the session at several occasions. For the

same few work done by the interns before was given to make observations that could guide and

help me with the process. I made worksheets for different levels, Flash cards for different levels

and few mathematical worksheets with basic math problems of Additions, Subtractions and

Multiplications that could be solved using various learnt strategies during the process of

remediation. Initially I closely worked with one of the RT’s Padma Ma’am and helped her

construct English and Math worksheets for all her sessions guided by the IEP. Working with her

gave in a deeper insight about how to go about the process of building up resources and how to

structure ones session according to the IEP.

During my internship I also got an opportunity to observe few sessions dealing with assessment

of LD’s. Being an observer I had nothing to contribute during the session but the session built

and brushed up the skills of how to go about the first few session including initial case history

taking, rapport formation with the child and the family, psycho education of the parents and

various kinds of assessment administered as well as the procedure. Once I got introduced to

some standard test which were an integral part of the assessment and identification procedure

namely WISC, CPM, SPM , CTOP the coach supplemented me with test materials of the same to

gain a deeper understanding. Later I personally trained me with the procedure of conduction and
scoring. Once scoring of CTOP, SPM ,CPM and WISC-R were learnt I was frequently given the

task of scoring the test post administration which has strengthen my understanding about the

tests and the scoring procedure.

During the course of my field work I also got the chance to contribute to the administrative work

of the organization in the form of carrying out some basic researches for the institution such as

finding out the data regarding potential educational organization that the Foundation could have

future tie up with and also making a Data base of the attendees of the workshop that the

Foundation has organized in the past year at various institutions.

CHARTER-4

INTERVIEWS WITH STAFF AND STAKE HOLDERS

I got an opportunity to carry out interview on various Resource Teachers and Parents who are

attached to the Foundation.

The first interview that I carried out was with my Mentor at work Mrs. Mrunal Patel who has

been working with the organization for good 4 years.

Q. How long have you worked here? Can you tell me about your role and your background?

- “I’ve been associated with Morris for good four years as a counselor. The role that I cater to is

of a counselor and a resource teacher who primarily carries out the process of assessments to rule

out LD’s ,to carry out counseling sessions with the child and the parents throughout the program

and process of remediation. I also engage as an English remedial teacher for lower grade levels. I

have a background of PG Diploma in School Psychology”

Q. How would you express your overall experience working with the organization?

-“If I have to express my experience with the Foundation it has been a journey of growth not

only as a skilled professional but also as an individual. When I joined the foundation I was a bit

skeptical if I could adjust in such a well known institution like Morris and if I could meet their

demands with my limited set of skills but the team here made sure we all grow together by

helping in each other out in every aspect as we know handling such a role which deals with

children is not an easy task and it does include a lot of mental as well as physical strain”. It was

been a very smooth journey due to the support that the team extends to every team member not

only professionally but there is an emotional touch to it making us like a family.”

Q. What do like the most about the foundation?

-“It’s the varied amount of experience that the foundation provided all throughout the years. The

amount of opportunities the foundations provides does not only increase ones professional skills

and has also made us work to our fullest potential. When I joined here my experience was not

only confined to assessments and counseling which I was trained and recruited for but I also got

trained as a resource teacher by the foundation. I’ve got the opportunity to not only work in a

clinical setting but also with cooperates and schools personally through Morris which I don’t

think any other institution could. We all know Morris is one of the leading Foundations in Pune

holding accountable for the same the institution makes sure that the team is updated with the

newly updated tools for assessment. The work culture that we follow here is also something I

have never experienced before that I like the most about the foundation.”

Q. What is the reporting structure like?

- Being a part of the senior team we all have managers assigned to whom we are expected to

give feedbacks, follow-ups and reports on weekly basis on the tasks assigned by them.

It’s the manager who assigns us clients for assessments and we are expected to report the

same to them. They are like our mentors who us evaluate our performance in the

organization and give regular feedbacks. We being in the senior team have also been

appointed as mentors to the newly recruited member. We are expected to shadow them in

the task assigned to them, train them and they are expected to report to us on Daily basis.

Q. Have you ever faced difficulties and conflicts in the organization? If yes, how did do

overcome it?

- “When you work in a organization with other people you tend to have conflicts on a

professional level. We work as a single unit and there have been occasions where some of us
have faced difficulties in the work environment which has affected our work. When such

circumstances arise the foundation has given us the flexibility to share it with our managers that

we closely work with. Every week all of us have a brief moment of discussions with our

managers where we share our experiences throughout the week, evaluate our performances and

discuss as well try to address various kinds of challenges closely which has majorly helped us to

create a balance and face the challenge in a very supporting manner.”

The second interview that I conducted was a feedback interview from a parent who sent their

child for the intervention program

Q. How is your experience with Morris been and how satisfied are you with your decision with

going with Morris?

“We were referred to Morris by the school counselor. When the school counselor told that my

child might have a Learning Disability I had no clue what it was and had no experience of the

same which frightened us a lot. We decided to go with the school suggestion of getting our child

assessed and seek remediation at the center. My experience with the foundation has been very

satisfying. I’ve marked a drastic change in my child’s condition. The team here has given her an

environment like home and it is very surprising to see her so excited to come here for her

remedial lessons like never before. The program has not only given a support to her but also to

Parents like us who are highly tensed and worried about our child’s performance. Our counseling

sessions with counselor has helped us to effectively deal and build up skills to meet our child’s

needs. Regular sessions with us are conducted without fail. The involvement that the team shows

towards our child is tremendous they make sure a constant feedback is given and they also make
sure there is a complete communication with the school which makes half of the task of being a

parent very easy. Another commendable effort of the organization is their involvement is not

only restricted to remediation but they keep organizing extra activities such as organizing a

Diwali Mela which makes the kid more interested and connected to the organization. I have

never seen my daughter so involved in school and it is so happy to see her grow not only

academically but also other parts such as self confidence.”

CHAPTER-5

PERSONAL TAKEAWAYS
The sole aim that made me inclined and approach Morris Foundation to work with for my field

project was firstly we all know it is one of the most established and active institution which is

dedicated towards the field of learning disorder. When we talk about seeking remediation for

ones child a large number of parents seek help from Morris Foundation in Pune as it is one of the

most recognized institutions in the field with highly skilled and experienced workforce. The

second reason that attracted me towards an organization that works with children solely was

when I see myself in the field of psychology my great chunk of interest lies towards working

with children. I come from a city which is still in its growing stages when it comes to awareness

of mental awareness and acceptance. When we talk about how many parents actually recognize

that their child has a learning disorder and seek help for the same is very low. Which has always

made me have a vision of working towards the same cause. I aim at opening up a center same as

Morris that helps children to seek assessment and proper remediation for the same. Keeping both

the points in mind I made my choice to approach the institution. I dedicated a good amount of 34

hours to the institution and had a very enriching as well as insightful experience. The experience

was not solely sharpened my clinical skills but also help me touch the administrative side of a

working institution. Talking about what my learning as a part of the organization was vast. The

internship was an opportunity to improve my skills as test administrator and interpretation,

counseling, remediation and broaden my experience of working in an organization with

professionals of the discipline.

General Obiectives:

1. To gain greater knowledge and experience in child counseling

2. To gain experience with the instruments used in ruling out learning disorder
 3. To participate and gain supervised experience in the process of remediation used

for Learning Disorders

4. To learn about the administrative functioning of the institution

The first and foremost learning that I took away was it brushed up my skill as a future clinician.

It gave me a firsthand experience about how to carry out and build up a session from the intake

interview and basic case history taking for assessment of Learning Disorders. Before meeting

the client for the first time, the psychologist usually tries to reviews information about the child

from the school or the referral point. The client's first contact with the organization is an intake

interview with the psychologist at the foundation. The purpose of this interview is to gather

information the parents of the child continued by a small interview with the child to generally

break the ice. The interview appears to be free-flowing. This process of the intake interview or

the initial interview gave me a lot of insights about the rapport building process with the parents

and more importantly with the child which is considered to be one of the toughest task to make

and an art learnt through observation. While observing I also retained the skill of psycho-

educating the clients specially who have no background and awareness about the disability and

how to approach it.

Coming to the second learning it brushed up my skills in the sphere of carrying out assessments

with children. The first week of my internship was an orientation and was mainly given to study

the basic test manuals used for assessment of LD and practiced the administration of instruments

used by Morris Foundation to evaluate intelligence, academic achievement and Specific to assess

Learning Disorders. In the same process I got the opportunity to also shadowed the

administration process of various tests to clients with potential LD. This experience broadened

my theoretical knowledge about the tests I had just read about as a part of the M.A curriculum.
As masters students we were taught to carry out basic tests such as CPM and SPM but after

working with them I got a firsthand experience to observe various conduction of the same and

many other test such as WISC, Mallin’s, C-TOP , The learning was not only restrained to

observing the conduction of these assessments but I was also trained to score most of them which

is one of the major learning from the internship.

The third learning from the internship was carrying out remediations. I was exposed to vast

amount of experiences through which I learnt how remediation for every section such as writing,

reading is approached. Specially reading how remediation using the Phoneme approach is

taught. I got the opportunity to observe a good number of 7-9 classes that aimed at Phoneme

training for every sound which was a very insightful experience as a learner. In the same field of

remediation I got an opportunity to build up resources for the session for many resource teachers

by construction of the worksheets for their sessions. I learnt how different objectives where taken

for each and approached in a systematic manner. A very basic example of one of the worksheets I

worked upon was making them learn to differentiate, sight and verbalize phonemes such as

oo,ee,oa. Construction of the worksheet was an easy task but how to systematically set different

objectives and approach it using a step method was something quite insightful. As we know

approaching remediation is all about making Individualized plans to cater every child’s need

differently with a whole set of different approach. I did get a limited experience to approach the

same.

I also got an opportunity to observe the administrative side of the organization by helping them

out with Data Entry on an everyday basis. It taught me how to build up a data bank for the

foundation which is largely used when the organization is organizing a workshop or an

awareness program.