Students With Learning Disabilities and AD/HD in the Foreign Language Classroom: Supporting Students and Instructors

Abstract

Abstract: This article explores why students with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) struggle with the foreign language curriculum and how their difficulties manifest themselves in the classroom setting. Findings of a three‐year, federally funded study that sought to combine expertise in the field of learning disabilities with expertise in the field of language teaching are presented. Discussion includes how accommodations for students with learning disabilities and AD/HD often miss the mark, and which teaching practices have been identified as supporting student learning.