Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Neurodivergent Learners

Abstract

This paper investigates the challenges and strategies for teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to learners with neurological disorders, specifically ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and dyslexia. Together, these conditions are referred to as "neurodiversity" and they pose challenges for language learners. Dyslexia makes reading and writing more difficult, ADHD interferes with focus and task completion, and autism affects social interactions and sensory sensitivity. The study highlights how crucial it is to use specialized teaching strategies to deal with these issues. Effective teaching strategies include breaking down linguistic instructions into simpler terms, using visual aids to improve understanding, and involving students in physical exercises through Total Physical Response (TPR). Technology integration, including the use of multimedia tools and instructional software, is often emphasized as advantageous. To keep the students interested and promote learning, particular exercises like vocabulary games, paintings, and reading short stories are advised. By implementing these techniques, teachers can foster a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere that meets the requirements of neurodivergent children, improving their language acquisition and overall classroom experience. This paper aims to provide teachers with practical insights and methods to effectively teach EFL to students with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia, promoting a more inclusive and effective learning experience.

Keywords: ELT, ADHD, dyslexia, autism, neurodiversity

Introduction

The English language is regarded as an international language, which is why learning English is essential. However, learning a foreign language can be challenging for some learners. Every language learner has his/her learning difficulties, and those difficulties sometimes have certain reasons. Some of these learning difficulties can be associated with neurological disorders. Neurological disorders can be “ADHD”, “autism spectrum disorder” and “dyslexia”. Briefly, brain-related disorders are defined as “neurodiversity”. Having different types of brains supplies people with some strengths and abilities, but it comes with lots of problems as well. Neurodivergent people encounter lots of problems in foreign language classrooms. For students, time management, strategic planning, managing stress, and mental well-being are fundamental skills (Geyer, 2021: 23), but those fundamental skills can be challenging for neurodivergent students. As Armstrong (2012: 13) states that the neurodiversity-inspired teacher will value each student's unique brain and focus on building the strongest differentiated learning environment possible for them to thrive. This paper aims to explain what “ADHD”, “dyslexia” and “autism” means, their struggles, and what kinds of strategies and activities should be used while teaching English to learners with neurodiversity.

Teaching EFL to Learners with ADHD

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known as ADHD, is a neurological disorder that can make people’s lives harder. Even though its definitions have changed over time, APA Dictionary of Psychology  (2022) defines ADHD as a behavioural disorder in which six or more signs are present all the time involving impulsivity or hyperactivity and inattention. Roth and Weiss (2021) briefly explain the types of ADHD by stating, that if a person cannot concentrate, lacks organization skills, and gets distracted readily, it is regarded as inattention. If a person takes risks and interrupts other people, it is regarded as impulsivity. Lastly, if a person has difficulties completing tasks, fidgeting, talking and cannot stay seated, it is regarded as hyperactivity. But just because a child has symptoms, it does not mean that he or she has ADHD. To diagnose ADHD, some signs must be present before the age of 12 (Garrido & Cadogan, 2016: 19), and symptoms are to show themselves at least for 6 months (Barkley, 2005: 502). With enough evidence, ADHD can be diagnosed.

Students with ADHD face lots of obstacles that affect their school lives. For example, as focusing on one thing fully is rough, students can be distracted handily. Even though they can focus on multiple stuff at the same time, they cannot concentrate fully. Due to that fact, those students have difficulty with completing tasks; they may face problems in group works or homework. Moreover, students with ADHD affect other students by interrupting others, fidgeting, and talking; it may disturb other students. Children who have ADHD are generally aware of their differences and it is ordinarily shown by their protective behavior which can range from being disruptive and violent to being quiet and taciturn (Turketi, 2010: 3). These challenges can be exhausting for the teacher and the student.

Teachers’ awareness and approach are significant when it comes to teaching EFL to learners with ADHD. One of the effective teaching approaches is TPR (total physical response). TPR is defined as when the teacher says something to a student with ADHD and the student responds by smiling, turning, sitting, grasping, etc (Putri & Juliana, 2022). TPR can be applied when teaching vocabulary words; they can be described with actions, gestures, and mimics. For example, if the teacher shows a flying person and says the word fly, then students will simulate the flying move and say the word fly (Birch, 1975, as cited in Putri & Juliana, 2022). Another approach is called “the silent way”. In that approach, the teacher stays silent, thereby students have enough space to ponder their language practice skills (Turketi, 2010: 29). “The silent way” may assist the concentration and self-correction problems and develop vocabulary and pronunciation skills. The last approach is task-based language teaching. When the teacher asks, “What did you learn in English today?”, a student who learned English with that strategy can respond to it with a description of the subject (Turketi, 2010: 33). It clarifies whether they understand the important part or not.

There are some strategies to teach EFL to learners with ADHD and when these strategies are implied with activities, it can be more effective. Firstly, there are vocabulary activities based on TPR, like “Simon says”, and “Chase the fly away!”. These games are fun and helpful for vocabulary at the same time (Turketi, 2010: 40). Secondly, there is an activity based on a task-based approach. Briefly, the teacher selects sentences, writes them down on paper, and separates the words, and then students will try to make logical sentences (Turketi, 2010: 44). Activities like these can be entertaining for learners with ADHD to stay focused and easily learn EFL.  Putri and Juliana (2022) also give some group activities examples like a jigsaw, round Robin, tea party, carousel, etc., implying these activities with strategies may be overly helpful.

Teaching EFL to Learners with Autism

Autism is a developmental and neurological disorder. According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology (2022), social interactions, and nonverbal and verbal communication are severely impaired with autism. Autistic people have some features like repeating moves, understanding the direct meaning, having trouble with spoken language, sleeping problems, difficulties in understanding other people’s emotions, and sensitivity to lights, sounds, tastes, and touch. Autistic people may have learning problems and lower IQs as well. Even the most intelligent people, who have the autism spectrum, have limitations in their ability to adapt and be independent due to persistent challenges with organizing their lives (Frith& Happe, 2005: 786). Regardless of the severity of autism, those learners are faced with challenges.

People with autism have a number of obstacles in their daily lives, and these obstacles show themselves at school as well. As Olley (1999: 599) states, every single child with autism has extended problems with social skills and communication. When a student has trouble with communication and understanding other people’s emotions, that student will have complications with his or her peers. Also, when a student with autism cannot respond to other people, it may create difficulties between the teacher and the student as the teacher will not be able to understand the problem of the student exactly. Some research shows that learning is an overly complicated and troublesome process, due to cognitive disabilities that they have which make acquiring new vocabulary and grammar rules harder (Hashim et al., 2021: 26). Because autistic people are sensitive to lights and sounds, classrooms may be a trigger for them.

In contrast to other languages, the English language is clearer and has fewer syllables, making it significantly straightforward for learners with autism to acquire the language (Hashim et al., 2021: 26). Even though it gives hope, there are still difficulties; however, with the right strategies, it can be easier. As improving students’ understanding is significant, teachers can use visual aids like pictures, objects, videos, and so on that strategy will be helpful for the development of oral language acquisition (Lasintia et al., 2021: 80). The habit of repeating themselves may cause problems and slow down the learning process. Teachers should lead students to say one word and then skip another English word; it will cause them not to repeat the same word, and rather than repeating questions teachers should lead the students to answer them (Lasintia et al., 2021: 80). Lastly, using simple words and sentences and going step by step are important. Teachers should want to repeat what they say, it will improve their communication skills (Lasintia et al., 2021: 84).

Strategies have a significant role, hence using strategies with activities makes them more substantial. Asking yes-no questions to students and making it a game may be beneficial. Since visual aids are helpful and strongly used, usage of them in activities may be beneficial. Teachers can put three or more objects at significant distances from one another on the student’s desk after that, teachers encourage the student to speak by displaying words in English (Lasintia et al., 2021: 88). Students with autism prefer to draw or write rather than talk when there is something they want to talk about (Lasintia et al.,2021: 86).  Based on that information teachers may turn that into a vocabulary activity, teacher can give a word then encourage the student to draw what he or she understands from the word. All these activities may not be effortless to practice but with patience, feedback may be affirmative.

Teaching EFL to Learners with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is one of the neurological learning disabilities. The APA Dictionary of Psychology (2022) states that dyslexic people have severe spelling, writing, and reading problems. Dyslexia has two classes which are visual-word form dyslexia and central dyslexia. People who have visual-word form dyslexia have problems with visually analyzing the written words, on the other hand, people who have central dyslexia face problems in the reading process’ later stages like comprehension and pronunciation (APA, 2022).  Additionally, dyslexia contains two forms which are developmental and acquired. Even though both have common symptoms, their causes are different (Pumfrey & Reason, 1991: 154). Developmental dyslexia is present at birth or early childhood, and it may be genetic but acquired dyslexia presents later in life due to brain injury.

Reading and writing are two essential language skills, therefore, lack of reading and writing abilities causes severe challenges in life. Those challenges are parts of dyslexic people's lives. Besides the direct causes of lack of reading and writing abilities, it makes it difficult to take notes while listening. Dyslexic students have difficulties in learning new vocabulary as well. In addition to writing, reading, and speaking problems, dyslexic students’ study skills are less developed, therefore they have test anxiety (Akbaşlı, Şahin, & Gürel, 2017: 204). While they are facing lots of problems, the lack of opportunity, sound teaching, support, materials, or encouragement also contribute to those problems and slow down the learning process (Pumfrey & Reason, 1991: 37), therefore, these challenges cause dyslexic students to fall behind to other peers.

Since most of the subjects are challenging for dyslexic students, teachers should reduce the load of labor. EFL learning may be overly troublesome for dyslexic students, as it contains reading writing, and speaking skills. The modeling strategy may be helpful for dyslexic students; for example, when the teacher leads the student while he or she reads along, that student will gain confidence (Crombie, 1999: 3). Another strategy is called “analogous reading” according to Crombie (1999: 3), dividing words into groups which rhyme, then using the words which fit into families to reduce the requirement for new learning such as “sight”, “might”, “bright”, “light”. Another strategy is Movie Maker journaling; teachers think Movie Maker journaling and the use of movies are helpful, and fast technique stories created with the Windows Movie Maker are remembered more easily than those on paper (Awada & Plana, 2018: 465). Helping students with dyslexia can be possible by using those strategies.

Technology has a significant role in people’s lives, and it can be used in every field of life, especially in education. As Crobie (1999: 4) states, attractive flashcards, and computer games will be beneficial activities for dyslexic students. Encouraging dyslexic students to write a technological English diary when they feel anxious is one of the activities that may help develop their English and their motivation as well (Awada & Plana, 2018:471). Students may face obstacles when they try to read English novels or long stories. Giving students short stories to read and then making them take notes about those stories will be beneficial as well (Awada & Plana, 2018: 470). Technology, diaries, and short stories seem extremely helpful activities for dyslexic students.

Conclusion

In conclusion, because of neurological disorders like ADHD, autism, and dyslexia, students are facing several obstacles in their lives. Their school lives are challenging as well. Teachers are the ones who can make everything unlaboured. Teachers’ awareness and approaches to neurodivergent students are overly essential as well. In the field of EFL, language acquisition, learning new vocabulary, learning grammar rules, and speaking are challenging for neurodivergent students too. There are lots of logical strategies and activities that can make the English learning process straightforward. Half of the strategies include visual aids, the use of technological devices, books, and cards; the other half of them include the social skills of the teacher. Having patience and choosing the most convenient strategies for students is extremely substantial while applying them.

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