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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol2/Bridge2.2.pdf

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/965/Marjorie_L_Myers_Dissertation.pdf

http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/sl/index.html

I'm not minimizing the impact of various disabilities but I do think that parents of special needs kids often think it's just too hard to learn another language.  There's research out there showing that this is often not the case (as well as detailing situations where, in fact, it would be problematic)[/quote]

I've not heard anyone on this site say their child could not learn another language, what I hear people saying is that their DCs require additional support to learn - above and beyond what NT kids need when learning another language.  As indicated in the research papers you provided, there is a significant difference between the academic delays of due to unfamiliarity with the language and delays because of 'developmental immaturity'.  If a child is having difficult with learning in his native language, he will have difficulty in a second language.  In fact, the researcher recommends 'developmentally immature' student NOT be in immersion programs until they have matured.

Providing the dissertation is misleading.  The Key School is fully bilingual and provides special education in the target language.  That's very different than what is provided in other schools.  I know you say it's not your intention to minimize the impact of disabilities but it certainly feels that way.  Unless and until the delivery is changed, many special needs kids should not be learning second languages until much later.[/quote]

But Key has kids who come in with special needs and no previous background in the language.  It's also not clear that they have special ed services in the target language - the study looks at students' English performance and standardized test performance.  I'm the parent of a child with special needs (ADHD and writing disability, along with delays in reading and math) in an immersion program, so I'm not a troll and have experience with what I'm writing about.  Developmentally immature is not completely the same as LDs.

And immersion is not the same as FLES.  [b]A "special" (which is what FLES is) is not going to negatively impact a child's English - not saying the child will learn much Spanish but it doesn't count for much in the school curriculum.  [/b]The example of writing Is as Si seems to be an ordinary reversal - the type our DC still makes periodically (in both languages) - and is more a visual processing issue than language confusion (expecially when Is and Si mean completely different things)[/quote]

I completely agree.  It's doubtful the twice a wk FLES will negatively impact a child's English.  I don't think you can have your child opt out of a class even if it's only a "Special" simply b/c they hate it even with an IEP which OP did not mention they have.[/quote]

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