![What I Know Now About Learning a Foreign Language [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/What-I-Know-Now-About-Learning-a-Foreign-Language-Charlann-400x250.png)
When I came across a remarkable article titled, "Dyslexia and Learning a Foreign Language: A Personal Experience," I knew that I wanted to talk to the author. Charlann had the unique perspective of being both dyslexic and a speech language pathologist. She dodged the...
![English Language Learners and Dyslexia [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/English-Language-Learners-and-Dyslexia-Dyslexic-Advantage-400x250.jpg)
Question: An English language learner recently joined my dyslexia classroom. She seems to be having more difficulty progressing on our standard curriculum. Do you have any suggestions or advice? When trying to understand why a new English Language Learner (ELL or English as a Second Language) student in your class isn’t making progress with peers, individual as well as more general second language-related factors can be contributing to the discrepancy. Whenever a particular student seems to be having trouble showing progress with a curriculum, individual factors, such as their vision or hearing (including chronic ear infections, for instance) interfering with their learning should be considered. Beyond this, questions about speed of instruction, working memory, long-term memory, the number of repetitions needed to progress should be […]
![Q & A: Bilingual and Dyslexic [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bilingual-dyslexia-400x250.png)
Question: Our 9 year old son is bilingual and also dyslexic. We have decided to allow him to attend a bilingual school with his older sister for cultural and family reasons. Will this harm his educational development? The school seems supportive, but does not have teachers trained to remediate dyslexia. There are many reasons why families choose to raise their children with two or more languages, not the least being ties to two cultures and communicating with extended family members. As you may be aware, language learning can be very difficult for some dyslexic students, leading them to seek waivers for foreign language instruction. That being said, we have known many families over the years who have done just as you plan to do. The […]
![Dyslexia and Bilingualism [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Dyslexia-and-Bilingualism-400x250.png)
There are many bilingual or multilingual families who are also navigating a path through dyslexia. Bilingual students with dyslexia usually have similar problems in both languages, but some languages are “easier” to learn if the phonology and spelling are more predictable. So functionally, it is possible for a student to appear dyslexic in one language, but not so dyslexic in another. The focus of this article, is not whether a student should elect to learn a second language, and if so, when, but rather what challenges and potential benefits that bilingual dyslexic students do have to look forward to if they ultimately master two languages and also have their dyslexia remediated. LATER BLOOMING If dyslexic students as a group are considered late blooming in general […]
![How Not To Give Up On Learning A Second Language [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Second-Language-400x250.png)
Learning second languages are difficult for many dyslexic students; foreign language waivers or substitutions are common, but in spite of this, many can learn other languages and even multiple languages if the goal is conversation. Writing and spelling second and third language can be more difficult, but also possible for many people. Students may be more successful if they able to study over a longer time and if they have learned more about the structure of language in their native tongue. In the video below, listen to 4 Hour Work Week guru Tim Ferriss (yes, he’s dyslexic) talk about how he learned to be able to converse in many foreign languages. The type of learning described, won’t necessarily make you a master of […]
