PRASHAST : Checklist of Disabilities

About PRASHAST

All disability conditions are not visibly identifiable; therefore, PRASHAST a Disability Screening Checklist for Schools has been developed by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). It will help regular teachers and special educators to screen children at preliminary levels and refer them for further identification at assessment camps. 

The objective of PRASHAST is to screen and tentatively categorize existing disability conditions into the disabilities recognized by RPwD Act, 2016 to facilitate further identification and certification. Early recognition of disability conditions helps direct the attention of regular teachers towards children with special needs and prevent unnecessary unscientific labelling of children.

The guidelines consists of two parts

1. PRASHAST Part-1 is for the use by regular teachers for first level screening. It contains objective type items that need to be tick marked, and the resulting
   data of all the students is to be handed over to the school head.
2. PRASHAST Part-2 is for the use by special educators/counsellors/school heads for second level screening and tentative listing of disabilities in accordance with the 21 categories of disability conditions recognized by RPwD Act 2016. The results of the second level screening is to facilitate further identification and certification of disabilities.

The following is Part 2 of PRASHAST. For PRASHAST Part -1 Click Here.

Guidelines for Special Educators/Resource Teachers/Counsellors

1. PRASHAST Part-2 contains checklists of 21 disabilities, as per the classification in RPwD Act, 2016.
2. A separate list of characteristics based on the prominent (easily recognizable) symptoms for each disability condition with minimum or no use of medical or technical terminology is provided.
3. PRASHAST Part-2 provides definitions of disability conditions according to the RPwD Act, 2016.
4. Each question needs to be answered as ‘YES’ or (✓) based on the detailed behavioral observations.

How to Use PRASHAST Part-2

PRASHAST Part-2 is to validate, the findings of PRASHAST Part-1 from the regular / class teachers

1. PRASHAST Part-2 is for use by special teachers and /or experts identified by the Principal/ Head Master/Head Mistress.
2. Before using PRASHAST Part-2 read the document carefully.
3. Use PRASHAST Part-2 to validate the screening of the students already screened by regular teachers using PRASHAST Part-1.
4. The special educator/counsellor/principal of the school is required to check the items ticked by regular teachers in PRASHAST Part-1 and decode the same using Table 1 below, for each student separately.
5. Fill the PRASHAST Part-2, by considering the disability categories decoded in PRASHAST Part-1 and after observing the child for a considerable time period (minimum 15 days), in different situations (inside/outside classroom, playground, canteen, mealtime, assembly, etc.).
6. School wise data sheet along with the filled checklists for all 21 disabilities (where applicable), provided in PRASHAST Part-2 to be submitted as one single booklet per school.

Physical Disability

Physical disability refers to disability caused due to physical deformities or amputations and is a limitation to person’s physical functioning, mobility, stamina or ability to perform physical actions.

Loco-Motor Disability

Loco-motor disability means an inability of the bones, joints or muscles leading to substantial restriction of the movement of the limbs (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Locomotor Disability

Leprosy Cured Person

Leprosy cured person means a person who has been cured of leprosy but is suffering from— (i) loss of sensation in hands or feet as well as loss of sensation and paresis in the eye and eye-lid but with no manifest deformity; (ii) manifest deformity and paresis but having sufficient mobility in their hands and feet to enable them to engage in normal economic activity; (iii) extreme physical deformity as well as advanced age which prevents him/her from undertaking any gainful occupation and the expression “leprosy cured” shall be construed accordingly (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Leprosy Cured Persons

Or
Is this child leprosy cured? If yes, kindly provide (attach) a brief history of treatment.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (CP) means a group of non-progressive neurological conditions affecting body movements and muscle coordination caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring before, during or shortly after birth (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Cerebral Palsy

Dwarfism

Dwarfism means a medical or genetic condition resulting in an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches (147 centimetres) (RPwD, 2016). 

 Specific Checklist: Dwarfism

Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy means a group of hereditary genetic muscle disease that weakens the muscles that move the human body. Persons with multiple dystrophy have incorrect and missing information in their genes, which prevents them from making the proteins they need for healthy muscles. It is characterised by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Muscular Dystrophy

Acid attack victim

Acid attack victim means a person disfigured due to violent assaults by throwing of acid or similar corrosive substance (RPwD, 2016).

Acid is a substance that could be dangerous for its eroding chemical properties. It has turned into an untamed weapon used by anti-social people across the globe. It would be appropriate to call the victims of acid attack as survivors for obvious reasons such as taboos, social stigma, lower self-esteem, and permanent scars that they have to live with, post the incident.

Around 200 to 300 cases are reported every year in India alone but a large number of incidents remain unreported. The victims suffer emotionally, mentally, physically, socially as a result and require a lot of support to come out of the intense distress experienced. They can be easily identified by their distinct appearance like discolouration, severe burns, and deformities in the physique. With the help of strong legal mechanisms and its strict enforcement along with active community participation, the prevention and coping of such brutal crimes can be handled effectively.

The attack leaves severe imprint on the person’s public life and personal life making her/his livelihood and employment prospects challenging. To address this issue, the Government of India has included Acid Attack Victims or Survivors under the RPwD Act, 2016 for ensuring their well-being and welfare. 

Acid attack victims can be easily identified by their appearance. They have marks of severe burns on various body parts and may also suffer from physical deformities

Visual Impairment

Visual Impairment refers to decreased ability to see to the extent that causes problems in daily functioning.

Blindness

Blindness means a condition where a person has any of the following conditions, after best correction—(i) total absence of sight or (ii) visual acuity less than 3/60 or less than 10/200 (Snellen) in the better eye with best possible correction or (iii) limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of less than10 degree (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Blindness

Low Vision

Low vision means a condition where a person has any of the following conditions, namely:—(i) visual acuity not exceeding 6/18 or less than 20/60 upto 3/60 or upto 10/200 (Snellen) in the better eye with best possible corrections; or ii) limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of less than 40 degree up to 10 degree (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Low Vision

Hearing Impairment

Hearing impairment refers to decreased ability to listen to the extent that it creates problems in day-to-day functioning

Hearing Impairment

Hearing impairment is defined as (a) “deaf” means persons having 70 DB hearing loss in speech frequencies in both ears; (b) “hard of hearing” means person having 60 DB to 70 DB hearing loss in speech frequencies in both ears (RPwD, 2016).

Speech and Language Disability

Speech and language disability refers to problems in communication involving hearing, speech, language, and fluency.

Speech and Language Disabilities

Speech and language disabilities means a permanent disability arising out of conditions such as laryngectomy or aphasia affecting one or more components of speech and language due to organic or neurological causes (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Speech and Language Disabilities

Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability refers to significant impairment in cognitive and adaptive functioning. It causes difficulties in problem solving, reasoning and learning.

Intellectual Disability

Intellectual disability is a condition characterised by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem solving) and in adaptive behaviour which covers a range of everyday, social and practical skills (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Learning Disabilities

Specific learning disabilities means a heterogeneous group of conditions wherein there is a deficit in processing language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself as a difficulty to comprehend, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations and includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, dyslexia (related to reading), dysgraphia (related to writing), dyscalculia (related to mathematical calculations), dyspraxia (related to coordination and movements) and developmental aphasia (related to acquisition of language) (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Specific Learning Disabilities 

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder means a neuro-developmental condition typically appearing in the first three years of life that significantly affects a person’s ability to communicate, understand relationships and relate to others, and is frequently associated with unusual or stereotypical rituals or behaviours (RPwD, 2016).

Mental Behaviour

Mental behaviour includes mental illness which refers to disturbances in thoughts and behaviour that becomes obstacles in performing activities of daily living.

Mental Illness

Mental illness means a substantial disorder of thinking, mood, perception, orientation or memory that grossly impairs judgment, behaviour, capacity to recognize reality or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life, but does not include retardation which is a condition of arrested or incomplete development of mind of a person, specially characterised by sub-normality of intelligence (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Mental Illness

Chronic Neurological Condition

This section includes disabilities caused by chronic neurological conditions. These are caused due to problems in nervous system of the person.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis means an inflammatory, nervous system disease in which the myelin sheaths around the axons of nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord are damaged leading to demyelination and affecting the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Multiple Sclerosis

Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease means a progressive disease of the nervous system marked by tremors, muscular rigidity and slow, imprecise movement, chiefly affecting middleaged and elderly people associated with degeneration of the basal ganglia of the brain and a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine (RPwD, 2016).

Parkinson’s is most commonly diagnosed in people over the age of 40. Though less common, young-onset Parkinson’s is diagnosed in people between the ages of 21-40. Even rarer still, Juvenile Parkinson’s is diagnosed in those under the age of 21. Juvenile Parkinsonism is difficult to diagnose because the nature of its manifestation in this age group is always with atypical features. Juvenile Parkinsonism usually presents itself as dystonia or rigidity in lower limbs. There is complete absence of resting tremors in most of the cases. There may be jerky movements of legs while walking or during rest but not tremors. Many times, pain may be the first clinical manifestation.

Following are the early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that could be observed in children, which may be considered as indicative of Parkinson’s later in life.

Specific Checklist: Parkinson’s Disease

Blood Disorders

This section includes the disabilities caused by problems in blood or blood disorders.

Haemophilia 

Haemophilia means an inheritable disease usually affecting only male but transmitted by women to their male child, characterized by loss or impairment of the normal clotting ability of blood so that a minor wound may result in fatal bleeding (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Haemophilia

Thalassemia 

Thalassemia means a group of inherited disorders characterised by reduced or absent amounts of haemoglobin (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Thalassemia

Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease means a haemolytic disorder characterised by chronic anaemia, painful events and various complications due to associated tissue and organ damage; “haemolytic” refers to the destruction of the cell membrane of red blood cells resulting in the release of haemoglobin (RPwD, 2016).

Specific Checklist: Sickle Cell Disease

Multiple Disabilities

Multiple disabilities include deafness, blindness which means a condition in which a person may have a combination of hearing and visual impairments causing severe communication, developmental, and educational problems (RPwD, 2016).

This term is used for a person who has several disabilities that are physical, psychological or sensual (related to senses, eyes, tears or any other) levels. Students may have two or more diseases or disorders such as mental retardation, brain injury, orthopaedic complications, seeing-hearing challenges, cognitive and genetic issues or such medical conditions. These students may have significant trouble acquiring skills/information, registering information in their mind, and applying it timely when a need comes up. Several common characteristics of multiple disabilities include hampered speech and communication skills, challenges in mobility, lack of sensation, physical deformities, and need for assistance in performing everyday activities.

Any other category as may be notified by the Central Government

This is a subject to provision of the Constitution. It will include any other disability whenever notified by the Central Government (RPwD, 2016).

Source : NCERT