ELL Language Acquisition

vs. Academic Disabilities

Caitlin Ellison CT745 Spring 2017
Who I Am

3rd grade teacher

Experience with 3rd-6th grade
3.5 years as a classroom teacher, 3 years as a paraeducator
Title 1 school in Kodiak, AK
Similarities between ELL and LD?

Difficulty in
Following directions
Phonological awareness
Sound-symbol correspondence
Remembering sight words
Retelling a story in sequence
Poor auditory memory
Concentrating
Easily frustrated
Key Differences

Phonological awareness
Difficult to distinguish auditorily in sounds and pronounce them
Order of phonemes matter
Decoding
Similar letters, but different sounds
Vocabulary
Figurative language
Pronouns and conjunctions
Words with multiple meanings
Misidentification

Overidentifying
ELLs typically score lower on verbal tasks than non-verbal tasks
Students held to lower standards
Stigma
Special education class not right setting
Underidentifying
Dont get help needed
Too much time passes severely behind
Referral Considerations

Difficulty learning at normal rate

Vocabulary deficits
Communication difficulties at home/with peers of similar cultural backgrounds
Family history of disability
Parent reports of slower development
Overreliance on gestures instead of speech
Need for frequent repetition and prompts
Disability across languages
Considerations during Referral

Overlooking silent phase of language acquisition

Discounting extrinsic factors
Dropping the ball on general education interventions
Not assessing students in primary language
Ignoring cultural differences
Statistics

Overidentificaiton
More common in districts with smaller numbers of ELLs
Underidentification
More common in districts with higher numbers of ELLs
In last decade, growth from 3.5 million to 5.3 million
2009-2010
ELLs 9.7% of students in public schools
8.3% of students served under IDEA
Next Steps

Work with school team to have student identified as SpEd and ELL
ELL teacher on board need school psych to agree
Modify instruction to include as many opportunities for student interaction as possible
References

Adelson, V., Geva, E., & Frasier, C. (2014, March).Identification, Assessment, and Instruction of
English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities in the Elementary and Intermediate
Grades[Scholarly project]. Retrieved from
www.ctserc.org/assests/documents/initiatives/specific-learning-disabilities-dyslexia/archive/ELLs-w
ith-special-needs.pdf
Cloud, N., & Bernstein, T. (2005, September). Difference or Disability? Retrieved from
https://www.tesol.org/read-and-publish/journals/other-serial-publications/compleat-links/compleat
-links-volume-2-issue-3-(september-2005)/
difference-or-disability-
Fernandez, N., & Inserra, A. (2013). Disproportionate Classification of ESL Students in U.S. Special
Education.TESL-EJ,17(2). Retrieved from www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume17/ej66/ej66a1/
Klinger, J. (n.d.).Distinguishing Language Acquisition from Learning Disabilities(United States,
Department of Education, Division of English Language Learners and Student Support). New York,
NY. Retrieved from schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/DABEF55A-D155-43E1-B6CB-
B689FBC903A/0/LanguageAcquisitionJanetteKlingerBiref_73015.pdf%20Resources
References (cont.)

Litt, S. (n.d.). Learning Disability or Language Development Issue? Retrieved from

www.everythingesl.net/inservices/special-education.php
Maxwell, L. A., & Shah, N. (2012, August 28). Evaluating ELLs for Special Needs a
Challenge. Retrieved from www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/08/09/02ell_ep.h32.html
Smith, H. (2015, December 30). Assessing ELLs for Special Education: 5 Pitfalls to Avoid.
Retrieved from
http://www.scilearn.com/blog/assessing-ells-for-special-education-5-pitfalls-to-avoid
Special Education and English Language Learners: Language Acquisition vs. Academic
Disabilities. (2017). Retrieved from
http://www.nwaea.k12.ia.us/index.cfm/75449/11468/special_education_and_english_languag
e_learners_language_acquisition_vs_academic_disabilities
When Is It Appropriate to Refer an Ell for Special Education? (2009, January 23). Retrieved
from wabewa.org/wp...01/When-Is-It-Appropriate-to-Refer-an-ELL-k20-k23-JAN09.ppt