In a country where children's learning disabilities (LD) are still associated by some with mental illness or low intelligence, there is a lot to be wished for. Children with specific disabilities make up four to six percent of the nation's learning population, whilst children with general LD make up 10 to 12 percent.

Education deputy minister Eleni Kourkoula wrote in a recent article about LD published in the Greek daily Ta Nea : "The lack of knowledge and information, the lack of cooperation between teachers and education authorities are the chief reasons why these children eventually miss the train of their learning journey. The state should be more responsible to substantially help educators in their work."

Such responsibility is crucial as children with LD often struggle on a psychological and social level too, confronted as they are with things other kids understand easily but they find an enormous task to make sense of. Often, the problem is recognized by parents and teachers but not dealt with effectively, if at all. This in turn, leaves children with problems that affect them throughout their adult life, dramatically decreasing chances of professional success and social motivation.

Taking the initiative
Recently a number of individuals have been actively campaigning to raise awareness on the issue. Among them are Greek university professor Constandinos Christakis and child psychologist Bonnie Miller, wife of the American Ambassador to Greece, Thomas Miller. Unbeknownst to each other, they have both recognized the urgency of the situation and have found ways to employ their professional skills to inform the Greek society and improve the education system. Unlike organized institutions or academic establishments, the road to raising awareness has been bumpier working as individuals.

Raising awareness
"There is a stigma to LD which Greek society doesn't want to face. People say 'of course we must do something, these kids deserve attention!' But they have been saying this for decades," says Christakis. "When it comes to funding programmes to create changes, they usually back out."

Christakis, who has been lecturing on physical and learning disabilities at the Marazlio School of Primary Education in Athens for over 22 years, has been trying to raise awareness on the issue for more than three decades. His life project has involved the writing of books, television and radio appearances discussing the subject and the organization of seminars for teachers.

Moreover Christakis collaboration with the Ministry of Education has led to the setting up of specialized teacher-training courses whence some 40 to 50 teachers annually graduate in the specialization of LD. Also, his work has led to the introduction of special extra classes for children with LD who attend regular schools.

Are things looking up?
Constandinos Karakoidas, at the Special Education Unit of the Ministry of Education, sustains things are looking up for kids with LD. He says that specially trained educators nationwide are now enforcing new programmes aimed at helping children with LD; an example is that, as of next year, kids with dyslexia will be able to sit exams orally rather than in written form. "Diagnosis, evaluation and support centres will also be set up," Karakoidas adds, "offering useful information, learning programmes and social support to children with LD and their parents."

Moreover, the Special Education Unit is planning further specialized training of teachers and state-organised supervision at schools. "Unfortunately some schools haven't followed this system," says Christakis, "placing non-specially-trained staff in the position of supervising special classes. Kids with disabilities not only want to but can overcome their problems. They are just as intelligent and in numerous cases even more so than other children. But they need consistent attention and help," he says.

Encouragement in learning
"Kids with LD are often faced with intolerance and bullying, rather than much-needed encouragement," says Miller. "They need to be taught in a way that they feel the meaning in order to understand. They take things very literally and require much more concentration, which only specially-trained teachers can accomplish." Miller's work on LD as well as attention deficit disorder, developed in Bosnia, where she was living before Athens.

Her efforts to change these perceptions led to the writing a book for parents in 2000 called Communicating With Children. As a result, the Bosnian Ministry of Education asked her to write a similar book, addressing teachers. The subsequent Connecting With Children in the Classroom is now due for publication in Greek in early autumn, coinciding with an LD-related educational documentary to be screened throughout Greek schools.

"Teachers here are bogged down by so many concerns, which makes the system backward," she says. "They need above all to teach children with special learning needs how to access information. I have taken a first step by introducing the issue, but it is not up to me to say what should be done next."

Miller, who teaches Psychology at the Athens branch of the University of Indianapolis, emphasizes that fun, incentives and encouragement are key ingredients that need to be introduced in schools - especially with children who have special needs. After the publication of her book and release of her video, Miller will cooperate with private Greek schools in organizing seminars for teachers and parents.