Hi
I have a 9th grader who is dyslexic, has an IEP, but is very motivated and bright. I was told by another parent that Latin was a good language for him to take in H.S. This has been true for our son. Now he is to be switched to a new H.S. where among many areas that will be lacking, they will not offer Latin. We are attempting to keep him at his current H.S. and must build our case around the importance of continuing Latin. He hopes to attend a college where 4 years of language are recommended or at least 2-3. He has already tried Spanish and it was very unsuccessful.(this was in middle school). If you have personal experience with students who have succeeded at Latin or if you know of data to support this please contact me. Thank you!
Re: Latin success with Dyslexics
Success with Latin may depend on the specific learning disability and the effect it has on a student. Latin is usually (but not always) taught as a written language NOT as a spoken language like Spanish, French or Italian. It is for that reason that some students are able to handle Latin better than the modern languages. It is for the same reason that some students would have a difficult time with Spanish, for example, but do well in Japanese. I have found that students good in math, art and design may be more successful with Japanese. Unfortunately, Japanese is rarely offered in high school. Another option is American Sign Language. Many colleges will accept ASL as a foreign language.
Allen Tinkler
www.collegeboundservices.com
Re: Latin success with Dyslexics
my son is add/ld. he took spanish in middle school. just made it through. they insisted he continue in high school. it was a nightmare. anyway, i was feeling desperate. we had extended time, teacher aide assistance, whatever. it still wasn’t working. i have a friend who is a native of equador. she tutored him. refused to follow his iep that the professionals had put together. she said she would do it her way. she said he was very bright and actually understood alot of spanish. his test papers were 30’s and 40’s. to make a long story short, he passed regents exams in spanish! he said he wished she could tutor him in everything. he has a short attention span but said he could work with her “forever”. she did not have a college degree. sometimes a simple solution is too complicated for educators. good luck!
I have no experience with Latin. However, my son who has speech/language disabilities is enjoying Spanish, getting reasonable grades and seems to be learning a fair amount too much to my surprise. It is a language with more predictable pronounciation and spelling than English. In my experience success in any class for my LD/ADHD son has far more to do with the teacher, teaching methods and class size than the subject itself. He failed art which he loves and is good at because it was a large class with a teacher who could not work with his communication disabilities. On the other hand he is doing well in Spanish because it is a small class of only students with LDs and a teacher who has organized the material, pace and style of the class with good understanding of the students’ needs. The most important thing to look at to decide which school he should attend is who will be teaching him and how well in place are support services and accommodations for students with disabilities. Best wishes.