Accept a diagnoses for a foreign language learning disability to address my poor Spanish grades?

happymomof1
Sun, 08 Mar 2015 15:23:15 +0000

There is the possibility that your Spanish grades are your “canary in the mineshaft”. For that reason, I would recommend getting an evaluation for LD. Yes, there are many students whose LDs go undiagnosed for years simply because they can pull down good grades in most subject areas. You may well have developed compensation skills that work for other subject areas, but not for Spanish for some reason.

I’d also suggest that you sit down with your Spanish teacher, and carefully review any patterns of error in those quizzes and tests. Surely there are some. Other things to consider include any differences in test/quiz format between the Spanish class and other classes. Is the font the same? Is the paper the quiz/test printed on a different color or brightness? Is the font size the same? If the quiz is a “pop quiz” on the white board at the front of the room, what color(s) of marker does the instructor use? Is there glare on that board that is unique to the Spanish classroom? Is there a noise in the Spanish room that is not in the other classrooms? All of those things can make a difference for some students.