Special needs support in Karnataka.
Shadow teachers, special educators and remedial tutors for families in Bengaluru, and online remedial tutoring for children elsewhere in Karnataka.
Karnataka
Bengaluru is our in-person city in Karnataka, and it is a city of long distances. A family on the eastern side, in Whitefield or along Sarjapur Road, lives in a different Bengaluru from one in Jayanagar, with different schools and different traffic. Many parents work in technology and expect the same from a placement as from a project: a qualified person, a written plan and a report they can read. The state board has written concessions for learning disability, and the national guidelines for certifying a specific learning disability use a test battery named after NIMHANS, the national institute in the city. Special Minds introduces vetted shadow teachers, special educators and remedial tutors in Bengaluru, and offers online remedial tutoring across the state.
In person in Bengaluru. Families in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Davanagere and elsewhere in Karnataka can use online remedial tutoring.
Schools and boards.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board runs the SSLC exam in Class 10, now held as Exam-1 and Exam-2, and the II PUC exam in Class 12. The most recent orders we could find, from 2021 for SSLC and 2022 for PUC, let an SSLC student with a learning disability study only the medium-of-instruction language, drop mathematics and science for listed alternatives, and have a scribe and compensatory time. At PUC, the exemption from one language covers learning disabilities and autism, with an hour of extra time. Bengaluru also has many CBSE and ICSE schools and a large number of IB and Cambridge programmes. These rules are as at the time of writing (September 2026); confirm the current orders with the school or the board.
Kannada is the state language and is taught in schools across boards in Karnataka. Bengaluru homes often speak Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi or English as well, so a child may study Kannada at school with no one to practise with at home. For a child with dyslexia, Kannada's script and English spelling pose different problems. The SSLC route of studying only the medium-of-instruction language applies to state-syllabus students; in CBSE or ICSE schools, that board's rules apply.
Public support and paperwork.
In Karnataka, as elsewhere, the disability certificate and UDID card come only through swavlambancard.gov.in, from medical authorities the state notifies. Under the 2024 national guidelines, a specific learning disability is certified from age 8, by a board that includes a paediatrician, a psychiatrist and a clinical or rehabilitation psychologist, using the NIMHANS battery or GLAD. For SSLC concessions, the head teacher applies to the exam centre's chief superintendent for a scribe or reader, and to the district Deputy Director (Administration) for other facilities. The State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities can inquire into complaints. Samagra Shiksha funds support in government and aided schools, and District Early Intervention Centres take parent referrals. This is the position at the time of writing (September 2026); confirm it before you apply.
Neighbourhoods we cover
Bengaluru: Whitefield · Indiranagar · Koramangala · Sarjapur Road · HSR Layout · Jayanagar · Hebbal · Yelahanka
Support by need
Questions from families in Karnataka
Can my child with dyslexia be excused from Kannada in a Bengaluru CBSE school?+
It depends on the board's rules and the school. CBSE allows students with a certified learning disability one compulsory language in place of two, but how Kannada is handled varies. Ask the principal in writing which languages your child must study and what certificate the school needs.
Can a state-syllabus SSLC student with dyslexia skip mathematics in Karnataka?+
Under Karnataka's 2021 order, yes: a student with a learning disability may drop mathematics and science and take two listed subjects such as sociology or economics, with social science. This is the latest official order we found, so confirm it with the head teacher, who sends the proposal to the district Deputy Director.
Can a shadow teacher travel from Indiranagar to a school on Sarjapur Road?+
It is possible, but at school hours the drive across the Outer Ring Road can take far longer than the distance suggests. We prefer to introduce someone who lives closer to the school, and we agree the route and timings with the family and the school first.
We live in Mysuru. Can our child get online remedial tutoring?+
Yes. Online remedial tutoring is available anywhere in Karnataka, with a vetted tutor, a written plan and a monthly report. Tutors work in English, and in Kannada where the candidate pool allows. Shadow teachers and home special educators are introduced in person in Bengaluru only.
Blogs for families in Karnataka
SSC and SSLC concessions for learning disability: four state boards compared12 min
Dyslexia test in India: how the assessment works and how to read the report11 min
Dyslexia in Hindi and Indian languages: matras, aksharas and three languages11 min- UDID card for autism or learning disability: how to apply for a child in India12 min
IGCSE and IB access arrangements in India: evidence, deadlines and practice12 min
RPwD Act 2016 education rights: what the law gives your child at school12 min
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