Issues in the assessment of reading disabilities in L2 children?beliefs and research evidence

Abstract

In bilingual and multilingual settings one is constantly challenged by the difficulty of teasing apart phenomena associated with normal second language (L2) reading acquisition from authentic warning signs of reading failure. The bulk of this paper focuses on a critical discussion of a cluster of beliefs that pertain to the issues concerning the diagnosis of reading disability in multilingual and bilingual settings among school children. Findings from available research on reading acquisition among bilingual children and research focusing specifically on the assessment of English-as-a-second language (ESL) children who might be at risk for reading disability are used to evaluate the validity of these beliefs. While some beliefs are supported by research, others are not. In particular, the research suggests that reliable diagnosis of dyslexia among ESL children can be achieved by examining within-language differences on various indices of basic reading skills such as phonological processing, and by noting a significant gap between oral and reading comprehension.

Spelling improvement through letter-sound and whole-word training in two multilingual Greek- and English- speaking children

“…As both of LK's languages were opaque for spelling his difficulty was manifested in both Greek and English. Results are in accordance with those of Geva (2000) who claims that a deficit in literacy development will be apparent in both languages. However, this may not be the case for biliterates who use very different writing systems (c.f., Wydell and Kondo, 2003).…”

“…Cross-linguistic group studies and case studies investigating spelling and reading skills with bilinguals suggest that difficulties manifested in one language will be evident in the second language as well (see, for example, Geva, 2000;Geva and Siegel, 2000). Klein and Doctor (1992) assessed a simultaneous bilingual child, KT, who had average intelligence but who was dyslexic in the two languages in which she was literate (Afrikaans and English).…”

Cross-linguistic transference of reading skills: Assessing reading difficulties in early French immersion students.

“…This result corroborates the findings of an earlier study of young at-risk ESL students conducted by Geva (2000). She reported, "efficient word recognition plays a significant role in facilitating the comprehension of simple narratives" (p. 18).…”

“…Genesee (2007b) also reported in his review of French immersion studies, "the reading profiles of poor readers tend to be the same in their first and second languages" (p. 3), a finding that was further supported by Kirby (2007). In addition, Geva (2000) linked reading comprehension with efficient word recognition skills in her study of young at-risk English as second language readers.…”

Cultural and linguistic influence on brain organization for language and possible consequences for dyslexia: A review

“…To determine whether failure to learn a second language is due to linguistic factors, specific learning problems such as dyslexia, or sociocultural factors is an important and often not easy task (Geva, 2000;Lundberg, 2002). Multilingual children, common among immigrants, may have to start learning to read in a new majority language.…”