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Dyslexia in the
EFL classroom
Joanna Nijakowska
Joanna Nijakowska is Associate Professor in the Department of
Pragmatics, Institute of English, University of Łódź, Poland. A specialist
in psycholinguistics, foreign language acquisition and didactics, learning
difficulties and an experienced academic teacher and teacher trainer,
she runs teacher training courses for ELT students and practitioners.
Her current focus is dyslexia and language learning. She has authored
and edited books and papers on EFL and dyslexia and presented her
research at various European and American academic centres. She
has initiated and coordinated the DysTEFL project (www.dystefl.eu)
(European Language Label winner) and co-authored the
DysTEFL –
Dyslexia for teachers of English as a foreign language
teacher training
course (ELTons 2014 winner of the award for excellence in course
innovation). An account of her recent publications and academic
activities is available at:
www.anglistyka.uni.lodz.pl.
Common misconceptions about dyslexia ....................................................................... 3
What is dyslexia? .............................................................................................................. 5
Specific learning differences (SpLDs) associated with dyslexia ...................................... 6
Signs of dyslexia ................................................................................................................ 6
Accommodating dyslexic learning differences in the EFL classroom ............................. 9
Recommended teaching methodology ......................................................................... 12
Developing phonological and orthographic awareness ............................................... 13
10 Tips for effective vocabulary teaching ...................................................................... 18
10 Tips for effective grammar teaching ......................................................................... 20
Teaching language skills .................................................................................................. 22
2
Dyslexia in the EFL classroom
Common misconceptions about dyslexia:
Myth!
Individuals with dyslexia cannot
perform well in school.
Many dyslexic individuals are high-
achievers
and perform very well
in school. They can be successful
not only if they are highly motivated
and work exceptionally hard, but
also if they are provided with the
necessary classroom conditions
to allow them to demonstrate
their potential and knowledge.
Myth!
Dyslexia is more frequent among
boys than girls.
The prevalence of dyslexia is
similar
among boys and girls but boys
are
more frequently identified as having
dyslexia, while girls often remain
unidentified because they develop
successful coping strategies (e.g.
they tend to be quieter, they choose
to sit at the back of the room, they
tend to be less disruptive or even
try to become invisible).
Fact!
Fact!
Myth!
Dyslexic individuals always
experience serious problems
with reading.
Effective
instruction
helps
dyslexic individuals to learn
to read accurately.
Some dyslexic
individuals therefore develop
successful reading strategies
and
become good readers. However,
other dyslexic individuals may
continue to read slowly and not
automatically.
Myth!
Fact!
Dyslexic individuals can be cured
or helped by special treatment,
for example fish oil capsules, vitamins,
massage therapy, coloured lenses,
vision exercises, eye occlusion,
balancing exercises, or brain
reorientation procedures.
Despite
sensational
media
reports,
none
of these apparently
miraculous cures have been
scientifically proven to be effective.
Fact!
Myth!
Children with dyslexia are lazy.
They should try harder.
Dyslexic individuals demonstrate
unusual brain function
patterns
when reading, and despite being
intelligent, motivated, well taught
and hardworking, they often
experience difficulties with print
processing and consequently
with extracting meaning from
a text. Appropriate intervention
and the provision of suitable
classroom conditions can help
them overcome these difficulties.
Myth!
If a child finds learning to read and
spell challenging, he/she is dyslexic.
Dyslexia is by no means the only
cause of literacy difficulties.
Not
all reading and spelling difficulties
are of a dyslexic nature,
but they
may result for example from vision
or hearing impairments, inaccurate
instruction or environmental
negligence. In addition, dyslexia
does not cause difficulties only
in reading, so if a child is dyslexic,
he will show other warning signs
as well.
Fact!
Fact!
Dyslexia in the EFL classroom
3
Myth!
Dyslexia is more frequent among
those socially disadvantaged.
Dyslexia and social status are not
related.
Dyslexia is of genetic
origin; it is not caused by poverty,
poor access to education
or environmental negligence.
However, these factors may
aggravate the effects of dyslexia
and can have a negative impact
on employability.
Myth!
Smart people cannot be dyslexic.
Dyslexia and intelligence are not
related.
Dyslexia occurs at all
levels of intelligence. Dyslexic
individuals can be extremely
bright, highly gifted and creative.
Fact!
Fact!
Myth!
Fact!
Dyslexia does not run in families.
Dyslexia
can be
inherited.
Myth!
Fact!
Dyslexia is caused by visual
perception problems.
Dyslexia is
not
a visual perception
problem.
Myth!
Dyslexia can be outgrown.
Children do not grow out of
dyslexia.
It is a lifetime condition;
however, early and effective
intervention can minimize its
negative effects.
Fact!
Myth!
Dyslexia cannot be identified until
school age.
The potential for an individual
to develop the signs of dyslexia
can be identified in babies and
kindergarten children
well before
they begin formal schooling.
The
sooner this potential is identified,
the quicker it is possible to provide
the necessary help and support.
Myth!
Dyslexia is a disease.
Dyslexia is
not a disease
and it
cannot be cured; it is a learning
difference whose effects can
be reduced through adequate,
regular and intensive educational
intervention and hard work.
Fact!
Fact!
4
Dyslexia in the EFL classroom
What is dyslexia?
‡
Dyslexia does not refer to any reading problem, it is
a developmental condition with a neurological
origin
and behavioural signs of different severity.
‡
Dyslexia is a type of specific learning difference which primarily manifests itself in
difficulties with
reading and spelling,
but its signs are not limited to problems with written language. Literacy problems
can be accompanied by problems in other areas of cognitive functioning (e.g. poor concentration,
short attention span, difficulty in internalising knowledge and automatising skills and poor fine and
gross motor skills).
‡
Environmental/cultural influences and individual
differences
(e.g. age, motivation, personality, social
support, home environment, provision of teaching,
cultural attitudes, socio-economic factors, instructional
methods, the nature of language or orthographic
systems) do not cause dyslexia but can reduce or
intensify its signs.
Main reason for dyslexia
Reduced phonological awareness
– poorer ability to identify, differ-
entiate and manipulate sounds and
to learn how sounds correspond to
letters.
‡
Difficulties
experienced by learners with dyslexia
are frequently unexpected
in relation to their age
and cognitive abilities. They are therefore surprising, especially when students receive effective
classroom instruction on literacy skills.
‡
Regardless of reading and spelling difficulties, dyslexic students might do well in other subjects and
demonstrate different talents.
‡
Dyslexic difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding
abilities may result in
problems with reading comprehension and reduced reading
experience,
which, in turn, limits the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
Dyslexia does not refer
to any reading problem.
Dyslexia in the EFL classroom
5

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