About Bela Raja
Bela Raja is a counselor and special educator who has specialized in the area of Specific Learning Difficulties.
She started her career twenty four years back in Delhi under the guidance and tutelage of Dr Sunita Sodhi of Educare India, which was one of the premier institutions in the field of learning difficulties.
Bela went on to do an advanced course in special education with an organization called the KPAMRC (Karnataka Parents Association for Mentally retarded Children) in Bangalore.
She has worked with The Valley School (KFI) Bangalore for eight years and has set up a Resource Centre within the school where the special needs of children are looked after.
She has worked with several schools of the Krishnamurti Foundation and has worked with institutions in different parts of the country.
At this point, Bela is working to empower parents and teachers and to emphasise the importance of developing thinking skills in children and in conjunction with that, the extreme importance of controlled movement in the development of a child.
Expertise
The main thrust of her work is to deal with children who have learning difficulties, identify the root cause of the difficulty and address it. Bela then provides remedial treatment to the child. A special focus is given to the parents where they are taught how to meet the specific needs of their child. This empowers the parent to work with the child effectively, at home. Bela also counsels children with special needs and parents.
Workshops that are geared towards spreading awareness and sensitivity to the special needs of children are part of Bela’s focus. This includes training of teachers.
Achievements
Bela has written for a local newspaper, which had run a weekly column on learning difficulties, for one year. Her column was also translated into Marathi and this too was run weekly.
She has written a book titled, “Children with Learning Difficulties - How to Help. A Guide for parents and teachers”, published by Vakils, Feffer and Simons Pvt Ltd.
Bela is a member of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, New York.
Bela is a certified assessor with the international EQ organisation called 'Six Seconds and is also a member of MENSA, an international society that provides a forum for intellectual exchange among members.
She currently lives in Mumbai.
The Book
