Dyslexia in Immersion Classrooms: What Parents Need to Know

Bilingualism is a growing trend in the United States, and immersion programs have become increasingly common for early childcare centers and elementary schools. If I had a nickel for every time a parent of a child with dyslexia asked me whether or not to enroll them into an immersion program, I would be very rich! Deciding whether or not to enroll your child in an immersion program is an important choice for any parent, but it is important to acknowledge the potential struggles for children with language-based learning differences.

We have gathered some great resources to help you make an informed decision about which educational placement is best for your individual child's needs.

Signs your child may struggle with learning to read:

The number one indicator that your child may struggle with learning to read is genetics. Research strongly supports family history of dyslexia and other learning differences (LDs) being an indicator for potential LDs in children.

Other common signs may include:

• Difficulty with rhyming
• Difficulty remembering familiar songs
• Inability to remember letter names and sounds in preschool
• Difficulty with removing individual sounds from words (eg - if I take the word “cat” and remove the “k” sound, what do I have left?)
• Strong disinterest or aversion to reading
• Anxiety around learning letter sounds and reading practice
• The need for speech therapy , especially articulation therapy in younger ages

What does this mean for dyslexic students in the immersion classroom?

When children are enrolled in immersion programs, the instruction of learning to read in English is typically delayed until around the 3rd grade. While building the foundational reading skills, most programs focus on the specific immersion language, and learning to read in that language only during 1st and 2nd grades.

There are two potential issues here for students with dyslexia.

1. This means that closing the reading gap could be more difficult and take longer since English reading instruction will not start until much later.

2. Without proper instruction in learning to read English, it is very difficult to properly diagnose and identify dyslexia.

Here in the US, the assessments we administer are typically normed on students who speak English. While the assessments are available in Spanish, many schools do not have someone properly qualified to administer OR interpret them. This means that many schools will deny services to a student until they have had at least one year of in-school English reading instruction.

Even after a year, it opens the door for schools to deny identification and services based on the excuse that the child is behind because of immersion instruction.

Can Students with Dyslexia Thrive in the Immersion Classroom?

Absolutely - but only with appropriate support and accommodations. Schools must be adequately staffed with professionals who can identify learning disabilities through assessments administered in the immersion language and offer services delivered by special education teachers in the target language. If neither of these options do not exists within the program, we strongly recommend not enrolling your dyslexic child.

How Parents Can Support Their Child

With all of this in mind, we have created a list of four questions to consider when choosing a program for your child:

1. Will your child have access to reading intervention through the immersion program delivered in the target language AND English?

   Most public elementary schools are required to use screening tools for students in kindergarten and first grade to identify students who are likely to struggle with reading. It is crucial that immersion programs use a screening tool developed *in the target language*. If the school does not have access to this, they may be unprepared to meet the needs of your child.

   Once students are identified as struggling readers, they must receive early intervention. Since we know that these students will struggle with reading across all languages, this is a crucial time to begin intervention in the target language AND in English. Learning to read requires linking spoken language representations with print, which is best accomplished in the language of greatest proficiency (Goldenberg, 2008; Mortimore et al., 2012). Many immersion programs will hold off on English intervention until later, but this is contradictory to the empirical data.

   This also brings us to our second question to consider:

2. When will your child have access to English reading instruction in addition to reading in the foreign language, and is the instructional time equivalent?

   Not all immersion programs are created equal. Genesee (2014) states that when English instruction is not introduced until grades 2-5, there is a temporary lag in skills related to phonological awareness for all students. For students with dyslexia, this lag may be less temporary and can contribute to a greater reading gap. Additionally, instruction time for English language skills is a critical factor to consider, and it should be equal to or nearly equal to the instructional time spent immersed in the foreign language.

   With this in mind, students with dyslexia may benefit from a Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program that teaches the foreign language and primary language equally.

   Tip: Rhyming, alliteration (she sells seashells), onomatopoeias (POW!), and similes (they blew through like tornadoes) are great to use with any activity. For example, if you are eating ice cream with your child, you can incorporate these literacy elements into your conversations.

3. Are the teachers qualified?

   Of course they are...right? Unfortunately, not always. This is an important question to ask when deciding for your student. Most general education teachers have limited training on how to teach students to read and little to no instruction on how to provide intervention for students with dyslexia. This being said, teachers with foreign language degrees are even less likely to have training in these areas.

   Additionally, some immersion programs, even those provided through the public school system, will hire teachers who are not specialized in teaching foreign languages. It is important to note that being a native speaker of a language does not qualify you to teach it in an immersion program.

   Qualified teachers should have a Bachelor's degree or higher in foreign language education, in addition to being proficient in the foreign language

4. What is the reputation of the program?

   Finally, a lot can be learned about a program by reaching out to other families that have been through it. Social media is a great resource for collecting information about the experiences of other families and students. Seek out parents of children with language-based learning differences who have also gone through the program.

How LD Expert Can Help:

If your children have been enrolled in an immersion program, and you suspect they may have difficulty learning to read, LD Expert is here to help! We can get the ball rolling with intensive English reading instruction to help close any gaps. Our interventions may also hold significant weight with the school if they plan to deny services based on the lack of instruction delivered in English.

Our reading teachers are fully certified dyslexia practitioners and therapists, and they truly are the experts when it comes to teaching children to read. Your child does not need a dyslexia diagnosis to work with us, and the programs we use are appropriate for any level of English reading abilities.

Consider scheduling a free consultation today to learn more about our programs and how we can help your family!

Conclusion:

Immersion programs should never be considered a status symbol or the best program for all learners. There are many factors to be considered when choosing the program that will best meet the needs of your individual student. If you have a family history of dyslexia, your child struggles with rhyming, or you have already noticed your child has learning difficulties surrounding reading, an immersion program may not be the best choice for your learner.

We are always happy to help guide decisions and provide English-based reading and spelling intervention for any student needing extra support. Schedule your free consultation today to learn how LD Expert can help your family!