We have just finished an assessment on an ESL - spanish student and the team has determined that some of his reading difficulty could be attributed to the fact that he is ESL, but that he did not make gains in reading through the last year even with the additional supports provided to him. He is assessed to be proficient in oral language, listening and speaking, but below grade level in reading and did not makes any gains in reading, but actually scored lower in reading than the year before. He has a processing deficit in short term memory and processing speed. The team is felling that it maybe a LD along with ESL. Anyone come accross this before.
Yes, I’ve worked with a number of students who are ESL/LD. Its a very difficult combination because of the language issues. He should get services for both.