{"id":10675,"date":"2018-10-22T11:07:42","date_gmt":"2018-10-22T11:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dyslexiadaily.com\/blog\/?p=10675"},"modified":"2026-03-30T07:37:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T07:37:28","slug":"should-a-child-be-expected-to-study-a-foreign-language-when-they-are-already-struggling-with-the-english-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dyslexiadaily.com\/blog\/should-a-child-be-expected-to-study-a-foreign-language-when-they-are-already-struggling-with-the-english-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Should a child be expected to study a foreign language, when they are already struggling with the English language?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"This is a question I get asked all the time. It is also something I faced as a parent of three children diagnosed with dyslexia, who were all expected to learn French.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

So, here\u2019s my answer.<\/span> <\/p>\n

Assess your child\u2019s ability to cope with the second language<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The first thing you should do is assess your child\u2019s ability to learn another language. Some children love foreign languages and they are actually really good at them. Even if they have a learning difficultly, a specific language impairment or dyslexia. Here\u2019s why!<\/span>
\n <\/p>\n

\u201cQuite often children with dyslexia have excellent auditory and\/or visual memories and learning to speak a foreign language comes easily to them.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

These children have developed the skill to hear or see whole words and remember them.<\/span> <\/p>\n

This means that some children with dyslexia can be really good at foreign languages. However, it doesn\u2019t mean they will be good at writing and spelling in that language, although they can be IF the language is phonic based. Think of Russian.<\/span> <\/p>\n

Symbol based languages like Chinese, use symbols to represent words, so if a child has an excellent visual memory, these types of languages can also be achievable.<\/span> <\/p>\n

Many children today come from multicultural backgrounds and as a result are bilingual, trilingual or multilingual. The question about whether a child should be expected to take on a foreign language as an additional subject is usually asked by parents of English-speaking children who are being asked to learn a completely foreign language where it causes their children great psychological stress.<\/span> <\/p>\n

When this happens, we need to take action.<\/span><\/p>\n

After we have assessed the child\u2019s ability to cope with a second language and determined they aren\u2019t coping, there are some things you can do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speak to the teacher about suitable learning formats your child could use<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Talk to the foreign language teacher about other learning formats that may be better suited to your child\u2019s learning style.<\/span><\/p>\n

I know that I was able to find a set of animated video tutorials online, which taught the French language in a story-based format. Some teachers may be willing to incorporate these alternative programs into their classrooms.<\/span>
\n <\/p>\n

“It\u2019s definitely worth considering alternative teaching formats that are going to work with your child\u2019s learning style and letting teachers know about them.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do some research into this area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ask your school if the course content can be modified<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, can your child be assessed on just the spoken language and not the written and spelling components? This way they can still learn to speak a language and be a valuable language learner.<\/span> <\/p>\n

When you travel to a foreign country, the best place to start when learning a language is to learn just by speaking it. Writing and spelling are secondary, they come later.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, ask if the course can be modified to suit your child. <\/span><\/p>\n

See what has been offered in the past<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You can also ask what accommodations other students have been offered in the past.<\/span> <\/p>\n

This can be a good way to find out what might be available to your child, simply based on what has been offered to other students before.<\/span> <\/p>\n

Get your child\u2019s IEP modified<\/strong><\/span> <\/p>\n

You could get a modification written into your child\u2019s IEP that excuses them from attending foreign language classes. An IEP is an Individual Education Plan and is a legal document.<\/span> <\/p>\n

If you are able to make this IEP modification, you then need to consider what your child will do when their classmates are attending their foreign language classes. There needs to be an alternative arrangement which suits everyone involved.<\/span> <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at some of these options:<\/span><\/p>\n