Experience learning other languages with dyslexia

[sattva]

I guess there won't be a standard answer for this because there are no standard types of dyslexia. DD in year 7 will, over the next few years, have the option of learning some other languages.

If you have/had DC/s at secondary school, or remember your own foreign language learning experience, how hard/ easy did you/your DCs find learning French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Latin, or any other languages generally offered these days? Thinking about which aspects may be easier, at the start or all the way (only talking up to GCSE level) and what was almost impossible or needing a lot of extra effort at? Or are people 'like us' realistically better off staying away from these subjects? I'm not looking for assurance or kindly encouragement, would rather have real experiences, so DD doesn't chase something as likely to work out as the chocolate teapot surviving the dishwasher.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry, should have asked for experiences of learning other languages if you/DC has dyslexia, or have taught students with dyslexia.

Hi Sattva,

I have a DC at secondary school. He is dyslexic and is currently learning French, Latin and Spanish. French and Latin are compulsory and he then had to take Spanish or German. I called up the British Dyslexia Association for advice as to which would be better and they said definitely Spanish.

He is doing okay so far, though I wouldn't say that he finds it easy by any means, particularly when he has to learn vocabulary. Spelling in English is hard so in another language it's really hard.

I think that he finds the Latin easiest. More or less phonetic pronounciation, a lot of words that have clear links to the English equivalent and a good dose of Roman history included, which he likes.

I would say that your DC is likely to have to work quite hard at languages but don't completely avoid them, especially if you are aiming at university, as a modern foreign language is often a requirement.

Totally depends on what he struggles with in English.

I've had DD removed from MFL due to dyslexia. No way would she be able to do it.

We were advised that Spanish would be the easiest language by the dyslexia school my DS attended.
He has been doing it for 2 years, can't say he's doing that well, I'm not sure if he will do a GCSE in it, or drop it at the end of this year (yr.9).

Many thanks for sharing your experiences, DD will give Spanish a go and reassess in a couple of years. Girls' schools tend to start Latin later than boys' ones, so by then she'll have a feel for whether to steer away, or add French and Latin. I've heard German becomes tougher later while Spanish is more phonologically similar to English, but curious about RL exam experiences. She's been ok so far with all of these verbally but, as we know, exams are not verbal. Thanks again!