LDs and second language acquisition

English-speaking LD Students sometimes struggle with foreign language classes in middle and high school. What do we know about this issue? Not much....

Where are some good general discussions of the issues?

The International Dyslexia Association has a fact sheet titled “At-Risk Students and the Study of a Foreign Language in School”: http://www.interdys.org/fact%20sheets/foreign.pdf

LD Online has several articles on this topic; a listing of these article is at http://www.ldonline.org/article/c677. Two in particular seem most relevant: “Learning Disabilities and Foreign Language Learning,” by Robin L. Schwarz (1997), available at http://www.ldonline.org/article/6065; and “Foreign Language Learning and Learning Disabilities: Making the College Transition,” by Sally S. Scott and Elaine Manglitz (1997), available at http://www.ldonline.org/article/6066

The Association of Departments of Foreign Languages publishes a journal, the ADFL Bulletin, which published a bibliography (not annotated): “Selected References on Foreign Language Learning in Relation to At-Risk Students and Students with Foreign Language Learning Problems,” by Richard L. Sparks and Leonore Ganschow; ADFL Bulletin, 32:3, (Spring 2001), pp. 65-70. http://www.mla.org/ADFL/bulletin/v32n3/323065.htm

A researcher/educator in Scotland maintains a site with lots of background information as well: “Dyslexia and Foreign Language Learning”, http://hilarymccoll.co.uk/dyslexia.html

A blog on LDs reports on a recent article which denies the existence of a “foreign language learning disability”: http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2007/02/no_such_thing_a.html. The underlying article, by Richard Sparks, appears to be a bit of a “retraction” of previous work by Sparks, though I’m not completely clear on that point. See “Is there a 'disability' for learning foreign languages?” by Richard Sparks; Educational Research Newsletter (ERN Online); accessed at http://www.ernweb.com/public/905.cfm?sd=2

Pedagogical tips and another list of references (not annotated) are at: http://www.miusa.org/ncde/tipsheets/foreignlang

Someone had a good idea, but all the page’s links to ERIC are “dead” and would have to be rebuilt: The Foreign Language Teacher’s Guide to Learning Disabilities” http://www.fln.vcu.edu/ld/ld.html#Foreign

Here’s an article regarding college-bound students: “What High School Students with Learning Disabilities Need to Know about College Foreign Language Requirements,” Joseph W. Madaus, Council for Exceptional Children, Teaching Exceptional Children November/December 2003, http://www.teachingld.org/pdf/foreign_language.pdf

What second language is best for students with reading difficulties?

Hmmm, with all those experts out there, you’d think there’d be a consensus on this one.....not! Naturally, students have different types of LDs, with different strengths and weaknesses, and there is probably no single “best” second language for English-speaking students to study. That said, here are some (hopefully credible) sources of information on this issue:

A conference presentation from 2001 notes discuss characteristics of French and German in terms of how LD students will fare with these languages (in brief, “yes” to German, “no” to French): “Neuropsychological aspects in the approach of teaching and learning a foreign language,” Katrin Sellin, Fifth Annual British Dyslexia Association conference, 2001, http://www.bdainternationalconference.org/2001/presentations/thu_s6_d_12.htm

Here’s a piece by a passionate advocate for the teaching of Latin: “Latin for Students with Learning Disabilities”, by Barbara Hill, http://www.promotelatin.org/LatinforLDbrochure.pdf

Addendum, October 2007: see this recent article from the WSJ: WSJ.com - Veni, Vidi, Wiki: Latin Isn't Dead On 'Vicipaedia' (Appeared on Saturday September 29; the link will only work for a few days....)

A blog for homeschoolers facing LD issues reports that “Latin, Spanish, or American Sign Language are good choices for kids with LD issues, including dyslexia,”

http://www.learningabledkids.com/home_school_info/foreign_language_learning_disabilities.htm Note that the blog refers to an article and provides a link to it, but the link is no longer quite right; try this instead: http://www.ldonline.org/article/6066 ; that link will take you directly to “Foreign Language Learning and Learning Disabilities: Making the College Transition,” by Sally S. Scott and Elaine Manglitz (1997), mentioned above.

Here’s my personal take on all this: dyslexic students probably benefit from a language with clear, consistent rules and where the rules for spelling are consistent with phonetic rules for pronunciation. So:

a. Latin: Grammatical rules are clear cut, and the speaking and receptive language skills are not so important. Students can focus on the reading and writing parts of acquiring a new language, and studying Latin will improve English vocabularies as well.

b. Spanish: can also work well, since spelling tends to be phonetic. Parents may also find it easier to support Spanish language study at home.

c. French: Spelling can be tricky. Has a bit of a “disconnect” between the pronunciation and spelling of the sounds.

d. German: Some people view German as “too hard,” with long words, while others praise it as a language with clear spelling and grammar rules that dyslexic students can learn quite well.

School District 65: debt & technology issues

Should School District 65 borrow money to fund its technology programs? See my letter to the editor of the Evanston Roundtable earlier this month (just page down to the Letters section):

http://www.evanstonroundtable.com/rt2007/rt_030707/opinion.html

General resources for LD students and families

This is a somewhat dated list of resources.....but having it here may prompt me to update it, we'll see!

R E S O U R C E S

Below is a list of links to web sites on learning differences that parents have found helpful. Most of these sites feature more links and options to sign up for newsletters, join discussion groups etc. Remember, no one size fits all, and what’s useful to you may not be useful to someone else!

Organizations and Institutes: General

All Kinds of Minds, a non-profit Institute “that helps students who struggle with learning measurably improve their success in school and life by providing programs that integrate educational, scientific, and clinical expertise.”

National Center for Learning Disabilities

Rush Neurobehavioral Center (RNBC)

Schwab Learning, a nonprofit "dedicated to helping kids with learning and attention problems be successful in learning and life..." The website offers content to help parents of children with learning and attention challenges. Some articles, newsletters, etc., are aimed at "beginners" (e.g., "Parent's Guide to LD Basics") while others are for more specialized audiences (e.g., "Talking with your teenager about learning difficulties").

Sparktop, a Web site developed by Schwab Learning that is aimed at children 8-12 with learning and attention difficulties. Information, practical advice, opportunities for creative activities in several media, Internet communication and more.

Answers for Special Kids (ASK) , an Evanston-based nonprofit providing resources and a support network for families of children with special needs in Evanston and neighboring communities, whether they attend District 65, private school or home school. The website has many helpful links and also includes the ASK newsletter and calendar. ASK's focus is on north suburban families.

Council for Learning Disabilities

Division for Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children

National Information center for Children and Youth with Disabilities

Learning Disability Association of America

LD Perspectives

Hyde Park Day Schools , a neighboring school in Hyde Park serving “children of average-to-superior intelligence who have learning disabilities,” has many links and resources posted on its website.

Center for Applied Special Technology , a "nonprofit organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities, through the research and development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies.

Organizations and Institutes: Specific

International Dyslexia Association

Illinois branch of the International Dyslexia Association

Sensory Integration International (focus is the Ayres/OT view of SI)

Sensory Processing Disorder Network (lots of info about SI, treatment, options, etc.

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders

(CHADD)

Chicago chapter of CHADD

Help for students and parents:

Read Write Think: Web Resources

Edsitement

OT Ideas, Incorporated , this company sells lots of cool accessories! (slant boards; "Loops and Groups" handwriting program; pencil grips galore; etc.)

Pocket Full of Therapy, this company sells more goodies, like seat cushions, and all the "Handwriting Without Tears" instructional books and specially lined paper, and so on.

Books

Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science Based Program for Reading at Any Level by Sally Shaywitz. A friend of mine writes: "I refer to it regularly as we move from one phase (diagnosis) to another (helping my child learn to read) to the next phase ( how to turn a struggling reader in to a proficent reader). As we know, the issues do not disappear with time, they just impact a child's school work differently at different ages. Dr. Shaywitz is a neuro-scientist, a professor of pediatrics at Yale and co-director of the Yale Center for the study of Learning and Attention. She is considered to be one of leading experts on dyslexia and is at forefront of understanding how children learn to read. This is a 'must read' for anyone who has concerns about their child's reading. She is a great advocate for the needs of children with dyslexia."

The Out-Of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping With Sensory Integration Dysfunction, by Carol Stock Kranowitz and Larry B. Silver (original edition 1998; revised edition 2005). I thought the book was very helpful in understanding range of possible presentations of SI dysfunction; revised edition looks pretty similar to original.

Answers to Questions Teachers Ask About Sensory Integration, by Carol Stock Kranowitz, Deanna Iris Sava, Elizabeth Haber, Lynn Balzer-Martin, and Stacey Szklut, first edition 2000; second edition 2004.

The Sensory-Sensitive Child: Practical Solutions for Out-of-Bounds Behavior, by Karen A. Smith and Kren R. Gouze, 2004. I liked Chapters 2 (description of problems) and 6 (checklist-does your child have a problem?), but the best was Chapter 8 ("Surviving and Thriving at School", because preschool, grade school, and middle school were discussed separately (sorry, no high school discussion!).

The Explosive Child, by Ross W. Greene, second edition 2001. I didn't find it that helpful; lots of sad anecdotes but nothing systematically useful in avoiding all those problems! Too talky!

Globe’s Adapted Classics, this imprint from Pearson Publishing offers “.....accessible literary masterpieces....adapted, in a friendly format, for students reading at a various levels.

Clothes dryer....or clothes line?

The Chicago Tribune reports that we can save money and limit our energy usage by changing our ways of doing laundry. Hmmm, the Trib’s tips include washing full loads of clothes, using cold water, using a high-efficiency front loader washer, and using a dryer with a moisture sensor to avoid overdrying. Let’s see–washing full loads is pretty easy (hey, I have three kids!), and I use cold water for just about everything except the “whites” (yep, they get hot water, and I still use chlorine bleach for them, too!). As for the washer and dryer, well, our current ones came with the house when we moved in–and though the dryer indeed has moisture sensors, our washer is of the old top loader variety, and I have no plans to replace these units any time soon. So what else can I do?

Dryer or clothesline?

Well, if I use the dryer, I will spend more cash; use more energy (gas, in my case); have dry clothes in less time; and have softer, more lint-free clothes. If I don’t use my dryer, what are my options? I can hang things out on my outdoor clothesline, on my indoor drying rack, or on hangers. I can even put things on the radiators during the winter, and they’ll dry quite well there. If I go this route, I will definitely spend more time “managing” my laundry (go ahead and hang things up or drape things all over your house–it takes a while to do it and then to return to them later, check it they’re dry, etc.) My clothes will also be rougher to the touch than if they were dried in my nice, big clothes dryer. I will spend less on my gas bill, and I will use less gas–maybe a good thing for the environment. So what is the scorecard? If the status quo is “use the dryer,” then my alternative is “air dry” one way or another, and.....

Costs of air drying: I spend more time doing laundry; dried clothes aren’t nice & soft; and clothes take longer to dry.

Benefits of air drying: I use less gas (energy), and my own gas bill goes down.

Hmmm. What would I be doing with my time, anyway? Maybe getting paid for it, doing something else. Or maybe I would spend more time with one of my sons, supervising his homework; or I would have more time for exercise; or I would read another book.

My bottom line: I live in a big, energy-hogging house with radiators everywhere and a nice backyard that can accommodate a clothesline. So: I use the dryer when I’m in a hurry, or when I care especially about softness (read, underwear and towels!). Oh, and when my cleaning lady comes once a week (that’s another story), she washes the sheets and towels, and she uses the dryer then, too.

Dry cleaners, or ironing?

Should I iron or send shirts to the cleaners? I remember the first time I took my tailored shirts to the cleaners–I was working at my first post-graduate school job, and I was so pleased to have nicely pressed and folded shirts to wear. I still love wearing crisp-looking shirts. But what about ironing? What’s the impact on my spending, energy usage, and the environment of having the dry cleaners do my shirts vs. home ironing?

Well, first things first: if I start ironing my own shirts, that is more time from me, and the quality is definitely going to slip. Should I use Spray-N-Starch? Or is there some other less convenient home version of starch I could use to keep my ironed shirts looking good while they hang in my closet? Ironing also means buying and maintaining a little appliance (did I ever mention the preschool child of friends who, when presented with an alphabet book, pointed to the “I” page and asked her daddy “What’s that?”–not pointing to the (obscure) bird called an ibyx but instead pointing to the unfamiliar household appliance called an iron?), and I’ll use some electricity and water to run the iron–though will that be more or less that what the dry cleaners would use to wash and press those shirts? And what about the starch that the cleaners use–is it priced in a way to include any environmental damage caused by its production or use?

Hmmm, time for the score card again: the status quo for me is taking my shirts to the cleaners; so here’s how I look at the “what happens if I iron” question:

Costs of ironing: More of my time engaged in “household production", shirts not pressed as nicely

Benefits of ironing: I’ll use less energy? hard to know; I’ll save money; maybe fewer trips to the dry cleaners

My bottom line: my husband’s shirts can still go to the cleaners, and I’ll try ironing mine and those of my children. I’ll see if the extra time seems too burdensome (or whether I will wear fewer of these shirts!).


Why not do less laundry?

Don’t Americans have too high standards for the cleanliness of clothes? Why not relax our standards a bit–wear clothes more than once, and accept that others will do the same and perhaps even look a bit the worse for it. Why are Europeans’ standards different in this regard?


Bringing it together

The common theme is our American enthusiasm for using capital, technology, and resources–but not labor, especially our own, to get things done around here. As a rule, if it takes us more time to do something, we tend to avoid that way of doing things, and I’m no exception. Convenience is king, in my book. But somehow I irrationally think that putting in some work can be important. How much outsourcing can/should people do? There are nannies (crucial to my family when the kids were younger), cleaning ladies (still do this), lawn care crews (yep, have that too),......What about meals? Shopping, meal planning, meal preparation, cleanup, etc.? Hmmm, will have to continue this later.....

Text -to-speech software

Need a simple software program to convert electronic text to speech? Lots of people rave about Kurzweil's program (see http://www.kurzweiledu.com/), but it's very expensive. I have tried downloading and installing some free programs aimed at converting text to speech. The only thing I have tried with any real success is called ReadPlease 2003 (the basic free one, not the "plus" version). Website is www.readplease.com

There’s a stripped down free version and a (better?) for-$ version. You have to cut and paste the text you want to hear into the Read-Please application window, so that’s a pain. But you can stop and resume easily; and by selecting only a part of the text in the Read-Please window, you can get only the selected text read aloud.

I have also tried:

"Browsealoud", which is supposed to read web pages to you; but it only works for "enabled" webpages, and few pages appear to work with it. Browsealoud is one of several text to speech products from a particular company:
http://www.texthelp.com/page.asp?pg_id=10002

"Fire Vox", which is an add-on (extension) for the Fire Fox browser (Mozilla); it is very clumsy and hard to control, as it just simply starts reading the darn webpage from top to bottom. Maybe useful for people with vision impairments, perhaps? But for someone with OK vision and fine motor skills (but some kind of need to listen to text, as opposed to read it), it seems like a mess. I ended up uninstalling it completely. http://www.firevox.clcworld.net/

You may also want to look at an article posted by CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) titled "Access to Print", at

http://www.cast.org/system/galleries/download/pdResources/srsoftware.doc