DISABILITIES AND EXPERIENCES

My experience: challenges and opportunities

of teaching English to students with disabilities

Vandréa Apostolopulos, Early Childhood Education teacher and responsible for the English curriculum at St John’s International School, in Cotia (SP)

Feb. 12, 2021

I have been an English teacher since 2016 and I teach children from 5 to 6 years old, which is the pre-literacy age group. As we currently have a policy of inclusion in regular schools, it is common to receive students with a specific disorder or diagnosis, which requires an adaptation of the curriculum and pedagogical practises. Therefore, I have already taught children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder). I also have a 3-year-old son diagnosed with ASD.

I consider that within the curriculum of a regular school, when you have a foreign language in addition to this curriculum, it becomes a challenging point for children with this type of diagnosis because there is a communication barrier. But at the same time, it also reveals an opportunity that, if well worked, it only contributes to the development of these students.

When you are teaching another language and developing this other language acquisition, there are several techniques, activities, and behaviours that end up stimulating these children. Also, a foreign language teacher usually already has a little more developed listening skills. This is because he already works with communication not only focused on what the student says, but also on his body movement and what he wants to say. These factors stimulate the development of these children.

There is no scientific evidence that children with these disorders have a more difficult time learning a second language – on the contrary, all my students with some type of disorder were able to acquire the English language in a very natural way and be literate in English. They did the literacy, the bilingual literacy, without any problem.

Of course, this depends on the degree of impairment and whether there is comorbidity. For example, a child may be autistic and have other comorbidities or not. But it depends on the school to understand the need to have an individualised plan for that student. The adaptation of the curriculum and the pedagogical and assessment practises are essential to be able to embrace these students. For example, if my goal is that a certain class is fully literate and can already read and make rhymes, for that student the goal may be different.

Pedagogical strategies

In the process of teaching and learning of these children, I consider that the best strategy is for you to listen and pay attention to the student, in what he has to say. From this, you will build your teaching plan.

I had an autistic student who was struggling and could only count to three in English. I had already used all possible tactics, and nothing worked. Talking to him, I saw that he liked machines. Then, I showed an old clock with a small engine behind it. He loved it, and then I taught him to read the time, and he learned to count with the clock.

I also had a student with ADHD who could not standstill. I asked and started to observe what made him more relaxed, and we made a deal – he did an activity, and then he could play on the court; he did another activity and played for another five or ten minutes.

So, you need to be very receptive, have an incredibly open mind, and the willingness to adapt your work. But, for that, it is necessary to have time and support from the school. Teachers and coordination need to sit together and plan. You must think about each case, talk to the child, and develop a strategy. Sometimes it does not work, and we have to start again. This, not to mention that often, the teacher must manage a classroom with many children and does not have an assistant. Or, even, there is the resistance of parents who do not open the diagnosis. Also, the pressure from other parents who think that child is getting in the way of the class.

Evaluation and monitoring

The evaluation of these students is a great challenge, especially in a teaching system of standardised tests like the one we have, with tests and entrance exams.

I think the assessment must be done differently, looking at how and what this student learned. If he learned to count on a watch, how am I going to evaluate him with a standard math assessment? The form of assessment needs to change to meet this student. There are children, depending on the degree of the disorder, who can adapt and make the same assessment of the others. However, there are cases where an adaptation is necessary.

A dyslexic student, on a spelling test, may need more time than other students, because he takes longer to process that information. A student with ASD may need to carry out an assessment in a separate room, as a place with a lot of people or a loud fan noise, for example, may bother him.

This is a complex issue because schools also find it difficult to adapt, due to the standardised assessment system they adopt. In other words, the problem is much more at the base than just inside the classroom. The room reflects a bigger problem, of the teaching and evaluation system itself.

Available at: https://www.inglesnasescolas.org/en/experience/my-experience-challenges-and-opportunities-of-teaching-english-to-students-with-disabilities/. Also available in Portuguese at: https://www.inglesnasescolas.org/experience/minha-experiencia-desafios-e-oportunidades-do-ensino-de-ingles-para-alunos-com-deficiencia/. Accessed on February 17, 2021.