Article author: Sandra, parent of children with dyslexia
Disclaimer: This article has been written from a personal experience of raising a bilingual child with dyslexia. Results shared here may not be the case for every child, as each person has their own challenges and experiences.
It has been my observation over the years, that very few teachers have training or knowledge of what it means to have dyslexia and how teachers can help children with that condition. It has also been my experience that teachers do not often recommend a child who has dyslexia to attempt to learn two languages (depending on the severity of dyslexia).
Over the years I have made it my mission to help teachers learn more about dyslexia. I have supplied them with books such as “The Gift of Dyslexia”, shared many educational videos on YouTube such as “See Dyslexia differently by the British Dyslexia Association and promoted teaching methods from the Orton-Gillingham Academy.
It is estimated that approximately fifteen to twenty percent of the population has dyslexia. In other words, in a typical class, at least 1 in 5 children will have dyslexia. Knowing that statistic, why are teachers not given at least a basic understanding of what dyslexia is or how they can teach differently that will actually be helpful to all students?
To kick off, let’s try and clarify the misunderstanding as to what it means to have dyslexia. It is not only a condition that means a person will have difficulty reading, writing and spelling. Too many times I recall a teacher saying “Oh, they probably can’t read quickly. No problem we’ll give them some extra time...”. It’s not always simply a question of reading and spelling. It can affect memorization and short-term memory. It can often affect sequencing or the ability to follow instructions such as the alphabet or simple requests to fetch their hat, bag and coat (one will be forgotten - they are not being disobedient they truly cannot recall the list of items). It can therefore affect motor coordination and time management (they genuinely have completed their homework but it was left at home or they forget to hand it in). Children with dyslexia may also have difficulties pronouncing or recognizing sounds that comprise words (for example, bat instead of a mat, cap instead of tap, key instead of tea, etc). Complex math can also be another challenge (yet another challenge with sequencing and short-term memory issues).
It is important to note that dyslexia symptoms are not the same for everyone. Some have mild to severe ranges and challenges and the progress of a child is often directly dependent on the support their receive at home, school or outside tutors. In summary, having dyslexia makes achieving literacy skills more difficult; but with the right support and teaching, individuals can succeed in more than one language.
Experts don’t know what causes dyslexia but it has been confirmed that it is genetic as well as those born prematurely. Dyslexic brains are wired differently and so they need to learn differently. Yes, it makes learning to read more challenging or sounding out letters and words but with a multi-sensory approach, they can succeed.
We found using aids such as coloured lenses in glasses or writing on coloured paper helped but are likely to be effective in only some cases.
On a positive note, in the UK, the GCHQ says those with dyslexia have valuable skills in spotting patterns that others miss – a key area the spy agency wants to encourage as it pivots away from dead letter drops and bugging and towards high-tech cybersecurity and data analysis.
“We’re looking for people who can see something that’s out of place in a bigger picture, who have good visual awareness and can spot anomalies”
To address the question of whether children with dyslexia can learn a second, third or fourth language - there is a number of caveats and factors to consider.
I’d like to share first that one of the easiest languages to learn if you have dyslexia, is Italian. Italian is very consistent in the way you speak, read and write it. The words are always pronounced the way the word is written. For example, every time you see the “ch” combination, it’s going to make the same sound but not in English. Consider in English there are forty-four different sounds that can be written in more than 1,100 ways! No wonder English is so challenging for everyone. For this reason, the incidence of dyslexia found in Italy is only 3.5% compared to 10-15% in Anglo-Saxon countries.
Other simpler languages include Spanish and Japanese as these tend to be easier for dyslexics. That's because words are spelt the way they are pronounced, unlike many words in English and French.
Learning a second language can be an impossible task for many, especially if there is no home support, you are not immersed (or live in that country) or if English is your first language and you want to learn Mandarin or a language that is equally different from your mother tongue.
There are already plenty of challenges for students with dyslexia to study in their own mother tongue without adding more challenges. However, as stated above, languages like Italian and Spanish are easier for those with dyslexia but French can also be studied with the following caveats.
Learning a second language can be extremely empowering for those with dyslexia. It can help boost their self-esteem and also help them expand their cultural knowledge (poetry, books etc) and knowledge of concepts that don’t exist in English.
The secret to being at least bilingual is to start early. As soon as a baby begins to speak, introduce them to two languages at the same time. If you have the ability to immerse them in two languages at home then that’s a good start. Ideally, you want people who speak their mother tongue (so example one parent speaking English and a second parent speaking French or if that is not possible, a babysitter who speaks French). Listen to audiobooks in both languages. Watch TV in both languages, read books etc.
The key here is consistency. The parent who speaks English should not flip back and forth with French. To the child, they must consider parent A as their English speaker and parent B as a French speaker. That way, they will address each parent in that language and reduce confusion.
If possible, you should spend time in an environment where the child can hear the second language. For example, if you have the opportunity to visit France or have French relatives. During that visit, they can be totally immersed in French and that will help them improve their skills to speak and comprehend the second language. TV can also be used!
By the time they start school they will have a basic understanding of both languages. They may, of course, confuse the two languages or speak Franglais, but they will sort things out over time.
Our child received speech therapy in French and English to help him correct phonological errors. As shared on the “Speech and language Kids” website, ‘Phonological awareness skills are the pre-reading skills that are so crucial to reading printed words and spelling them. These are skills that allow us to manipulate sounds and put them together to form words. Or, they allow us to take words apart and understand which sounds make up that word.’
It is important to get help as early as possible because if a child has trouble with these skills, they will have trouble with decoding and spelling words.
Multi-sensory learning was also a great way to help learn how to spell words. For example, writing words in sandboxes, making clay letters or writing words outside on the floor using washing-up liquid. There are also plenty of apps that can make learning fun by turning decoding into a game. Rocket Spelling was a fun app for learning to spell in English.
You may notice that your child may struggle to read a story (in either language) and yet if you read it out loud they will have a far better understanding and retention of the story. Therefore, a great way to boost confidence is to play audiobooks and then ask the child to answer questions about the story.
Another great confidence boost is to have them enrol in drama groups. Again, reading can be challenging but if the child is allowed to learn lines at home (with your help) they will rise to the challenge and feel very positive about their achievements. It is also helpful to share with students some of the well-known dyslexics who found their passions outside of the classroom and including Tom Cruise, Keira Knightley, Jamie Oliver, Henry Winkler, Cher, Sir Richard Branson and Albert Einstein.
It will not be an easy journey but with support at home and school, it is possible to learn two languages. My child’s story was perhaps the opposite of those living in Canada.
My child attended a full-time French school until 11 years old. Whilst he could speak English he had not studied to read and write. Teachers found it difficult to believe that this student had dyslexia. Psychologist testing confirmed dyslexia status yet the only accommodation given was extra time for writing exams. It was distressing to see notes from teachers saying "works too slowly", "Sad faces on homework assignments", "day-dreaming/lack of concentration", "lazy", "muddled work" and "untidy work". Clearly, there is no understanding of this condition by teachers.
For regular work, little did the teachers know how much time was invested at home to complete homework. Many evenings of tears and frustration to get work completed. It probably took four times longer to read and complete assignments. Spelling tests (that should never be given) took hours of learning. High results were achieved and yet a week later those words could not be spelt out without another long session of learning. Short memory issues always caused huge exam nerves and yet good results were achieved due to much hard work. Involvement in art, drama, music and sport helped to boost a fragile ego. Bullying, depression and low self-esteem are common traits that such students have to endure.
Nevertheless, he attended a French immersion program in Canada and managed to graduate with a high school certificate in French and English and now attends university. It goes without saying how proud we are but at the same time, we are sad that despite dyslexia being known, so few teachers really understand the condition.
“There is no doubt for me that the dyslexic brain, with its different way of processing information, confers specific talents such as greater creativity of thought, that isn’t to say dyslexia makes you a genius or vice versa… The best way to foster the talent in people with dyslexia is to identify it early and provide tailored support. With the right support, the dyslexic mind has amazing potential”