Articles of Interest
The following articles and resources are provided for you on the topic of ESOL and Learning Disabilities.

"Is Your Program Responsive to ESOL Students With LD?
Practitioners' Points, Volume 2, Issue 2 By Robin L. Schwarz, M.Sp.Ed:LD, Ph.D. (Candidate), Lesley University, Associate Lecturer, Curry College PAL Program

Learning Disabilities and the Spanish Speaking Adult Populations
Division of Adult Education and Literacy, Office of Adult Education and Literacy,
U. S. Department of Education

Learning Disabilities and Adult ESL

ESL Instruction for Learning Disabled Adults
by Robin Schwarz, The American University, Washington, DC Miriam Burt, National Center for ESL Literacy Education

ESL Instruction and Adults with Learning Disabilities
June 2000
ERIC Digest: ED443298
Authors:
Robin Schwarz and Lynda Terrill
Source: National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education Washington DC.


Learning Disabilities in Adult ESL: Case Studies and Directions
by Dorothy Almanza, Kate Singleton, and Lynda Terrill

ESOL & LD
Practitioners' Points, Volume 2, Issue 2 Accommodations Naturally Occur In the ESOL Classroom By Dr. Maria Koonce, Curriculum Facilitator Broward County Public Schools

Rkenyon721@aol.com

A copy of her powerpoint presentation can be accessed below. The file is a zip file.

Robin Schwarz Powerpoint

(Information as follows is taken in part from articles listed as resources to the left. Authors and original publications have been cited.)

ESOL AND LEARNING DISABILITIES
WELCOME TO THE NEW BRIDGES RESOURCE PAGE!

According to the National Institute for Literacy, it is estimated that 15-20% of the U.S. population may be affected by LD and the percentage in adult education classes may exceed the population as a whole. Further, 30-50% of the population may have undiagnosed LD. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, approximately 50-80% of students in ABE and literacy programs with reading levels below the 5th - 7th grade level either have a suspected or diagnosed learning disability. 48% of those with LD are out of the workforce or unemployed. 85% of those with LD have severe to mild difficulty with reading. Although it is not known if these statistics are true in ESOL classes, there is a general sense in the field that it may not be true. It is difficult to determine how many adult ESOL learners have LD, but estimates of the total U.S. adult population who are learning disabled range from as low as 3% to as high as 80%.

The lack of success some adults experience in learning may be due to learning disabilities. While adult ESOL learners may appear to share characteristics with adults who are LD, the characteristics may stem from very different causes and require different solutions. LD affects learning in any language and must therefore be a guiding factor in designing instruction for the adult learner with disabilities. The statistics on the incidence of LD are exacerbated by limited English proficiency and the risk factors of mental and physical abuse, substance abuse/drugs/alcohol, incarceration, and poverty among others. Even though these indicators are evident and well substantiated, training for ESOL teachers has not been a priority.

Learners may show learning disabilities in a second language when they do not in their first. A learning disability may be so subtle in a first language that it is masked by an individual's compensatory strategies, e.g., getting general information through the overall context when specific words or concepts are not understood, and substituting known words for words that cause difficulty. These strategies may not be available to the learner in the new language. Sometimes a learning disability does not manifest itself in the learner's first language "because of the systematic structure or transparent nature of his native language versus English." For example, a reading disability may be more pronounced in English than in Spanish, where the sound-symbol correspondence system is more predictable. Dealing with learning disabilities is a complex issue even with adult native speakers, but for immigrants and refugees the problem is magnified. Linguistic, psychological, social, cultural and educational factors make attempts to identify and assist learners a challenge. Unlike native speakers in adult education programs, many ESOL learners were not unsuccessful in their previous educational experience. Rather, they are enrolled in programs to learn to speak, read, and write in a new language. Therefore, teachers must be careful not to label ESOL learners as LD. While federal laws have helped to focus attention and resources on this population, limited efforts have been put forth related to adults who are not native speakers of English.