India has strong laws for inclusive education. But when parents of a child with ADHD ask me "What are my child's rights?", the answer is more complicated than it should be.
What the law says
- The RPwD Act, 2016 defines inclusive education as students with and without disabilities learning together, with teaching adapted to different needs.
- It asks schools to provide reasonable accommodation, support services and qualified special educators.
- The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 adopts this definition and calls for changes to curriculum, teaching, continuous assessment and student support so that inclusion really works.
The gap
The RPwD Act lists 21 disabilities. ADHD is not one of them. So a child with ADHD may fall between the cracks: clearly struggling, but without a named category that guarantees support.
Advocates have argued that recognising ADHD under the RPwD Act would make support such as flexible deadlines and extra exam time consistent across institutions, and would help reduce stigma.
What schools can do now, without waiting for a new law
Inclusion is a way of teaching, not only a legal category.
- Write a simple support plan for any child who struggles with attention, diagnosed or not: goals, strategies, who does what.
- Adapt classroom practice: short instructions, chunked tasks, movement breaks, a quiet corner.
- Train teachers to recognise ADHD and respond without punishment.
- Work with families and refer for assessment when needed.
- Keep records of what helps, so that the child's next teacher does not start from zero.
NEP 2020 asks us to build schools where every child can learn. We do not need permission to start.
Sources: Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016; National Education Policy 2020; Feminism in India (February 2025), "Neurodiversity in Indian Academia".
This article is for education and awareness. It is not medical advice. Only a qualified doctor or psychologist can diagnose ADHD.