Tapash Roy,Aajtalkss, Kolkata, September 29: What if understanding a child better could change the way we support their learning, behaviour and development? That was at the heart of “Early Insights, Brighter Futures: A Session on Psychometric Assessments in a Child’s Growth”, an interactive awareness session organised by Annantaa, a mental health and wellness organisation working towards greater awareness of emotional well-being, mental health and holistic development.Founded by counselling psychologist and clinical hypnotherapist Madhuri Sarda, with psychotherapist Vidhi Bansal as co-founder, Annantaa works across awareness programmes, counselling, therapeutic interventions and community engagement. Its initiatives also focus on bringing conversations around children’s emotional, behavioural, developmental and learning needs into schools and educational spaces.
The session brought together psychologists and school leaders to explore why children need to be understood beyond marks and academic performance. Deboleena Biswas Nag, Director, Cambridge Montessori Preschool and Daycare, Newtown, and Rituparna Kolay, Principal & Owner, EuroKids Preschool Ballygunge and Cocoon Daycare & Activity Centre, Ballygunge, shared observations from their experience of working with young learners and educational environments.The conversation gained added significance against the backdrop of data on childhood disability, autism and learning difficulties. UNICEF estimates that nearly 240 million children worldwide — around one in 10 — live with a disability, while the World Health Organization estimates that approximately one in 100 children globally has autism. Census 2011 recorded 2,042,887 children aged 0-6 with disabilities in India, including 132,405 in West Bengal.
Kolkata-specific research has also highlighted the importance of early awareness. A 2017 school-based study involving 11,849 children across three Kolkata boroughs found that 3.54 per cent screened above the threshold for autistic symptoms, while subsequent assessment produced a weighted estimate of 0.23 per cent for the broader autism spectrum. The researchers described this as a lower-bound estimate, particularly because many children remained outside the school system. An Indian systematic review, meanwhile, estimated an 8 per cent pooled prevalence of specific learning disorders across six studies involving 8,133 children.
Every child has a unique way of learning, communicating and responding to the world around them. Early assessment is not about putting a label on a child; it is about understanding their individual strengths and needs so that parents and educators can respond with greater awareness,” said Madhuri Sarda, Counselling Psychologist and Clinical Hypnotherapist and Founder, Annantaa.Atreyee Chandra, Clinical Psychologist and Academic Excellence Coordinator, Annantaa, added that psychometric assessments could provide structured insights into a child’s abilities, interests and learning patterns, but needed to be viewed within the larger context of the child. “Educators play an important role in recognising patterns over time, and their observations, combined with professional assessment where required, can help ensure that children receive support that is appropriate to their individual needs,” she said.
The central message of the session was simple: early assessment need not mean labelling. Instead, age-appropriate professional assessment can be a way of understanding a child better — and creating the right support at the right time. The discussion also connected early identification and continuous support with the inclusive education approach emphasised under NEP 2020.
For Annantaa, the way forward lies in collaboration — with educators, parents and qualified professionals coming together to look beyond conventional measures of achievement and recognise every child’s individual learning and developmental journey.
