One Child, Two Diagnoses: J&K Needs One Authority for Disability Certification
SRINAGAR: One four-year-old child. One psychological assessment says “impression of Mild Autism.” Another assessment records Down Syndrome with Intellectual Disability.
A multidisciplinary Disability Board ultimately issues a certificate for Down Syndrome with Intellectual Disability.
So, who explains the contradiction?
More importantly, why should the parents of a child with special needs be forced to find the answer themselves?
This case is not simply about a difference of professional opinion. It exposes a larger problem in Jammu and Kashmir’s disability-assessment system: parents often have to move from psychologist to hospital, from rehabilitation professional to education department and finally to a Disability Board to establish something that should have been determined through one coordinated process.
The father of this four-year-old girl initially approached me while seeking information about disability pension. He showed me the documents and explained how the conflicting assessments had left him confused.
The first psychological assessment reportedly recorded an “impression of Mild Autism” and recommended reassessment after six months.
The family then sought another opinion at a Government hospital, where assessment and follow-up reportedly led to a diagnosis of Down Syndrome with Intellectual Disability. A Government Education Department resource person also recorded the same condition.
The child was subsequently examined by a multidisciplinary Disability Board comprising specialists from different disciplines.
After reviewing the available documents and conducting its assessment, the Board issued the Disability Certificate recording Down Syndrome with Intellectual Disability and informed the family that Mild Autism was not established.
I contacted the concerned professionals and authorities to understand what happened. The Government hospital psychologist explained the basis of her assessment and indicated that reassessment could be undertaken if doubts remained.
A doctor associated with the Disability Board said the Board had reached its conclusion after considering the available reports and its own assessment.
I also approached the institution where the “Mild Autism” impression had reportedly been recorded. Despite repeated attempts, its Director did not respond.
The concerned unit later advised that the child could be reassessed and that the relevant reports and responses should be forwarded for examination.
That leaves a basic question unanswered: when professional assessments differ so significantly, who is responsible for reconciling them before the burden falls on the parents?
A four-year-old child cannot be expected to carry the consequences of institutional disconnect.
For parents, these are not just pieces of paper. A diagnosis can influence education, therapy, rehabilitation, disability certification, pension and access to other government support. Every additional assessment can mean another journey, another appointment, another expense and another period of uncertainty.
In Jammu and Kashmir, particularly for families from remote and hilly areas, repeatedly travelling to major hospitals and offices can be a serious burden.
The solution is neither to blame one psychologist nor to create another layer of bureaucracy.
J&K needs a single-window disability assessment and certification authority for children.
One application should trigger a coordinated multidisciplinary assessment. Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians, therapists, special educators and other specialists should examine the child according to need.
Previous reports should be available to the team. If diagnoses differ, the discrepancy should be clinically reviewed and documented. The competent authority should then issue one clear, legally valid disability certificate.
The parent should not have to become the coordinator between government institutions.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha should seriously consider putting such a system in place across Jammu and Kashmir.
The existing institutions, hospitals, rehabilitation services and Disability Boards can be brought into one coordinated framework rather than making families navigate each separately.
The State should follow the child, not make the child follow the State.
For a special-needs child, months lost in paperwork can mean months lost in early intervention, education and rehabilitation.
One child should not require a dozen doors.
Give parents one door to knock on—and make the Government responsible for opening all the others behind it.
#DisabilityRights #SpecialNeedsChildren #JammuAndKashmir #InclusiveEducation
(Zaheer Jan is Sr. Pediatric Rehab Therapist & Social Worker (MSW) Working for Child & Disability Rights in Srinagar.
