Richard Weil CHEP

That could be very tough without specialized training. I had severe dyslexia which required years of therapy before I could read, so I think I can see the difference, but that's a personal call. I suppose you'd have to look at whether English is their primary language, and go from there in how they access and write content. Of course you might get somebody who has both issues, in which case it's beyond most teachers.

Benjamin Apfelbaum

It can take seven to ten years to fully learn a language and become fluent, especially with academic vocabulary. When trying to discern whether a student has a learning disability or is limited English proficient, an instructor may start by asking how many years the student has been in the country learning the language. Social language competence develops much sooner than the academic language, so even if a student can communicate fluently in social situations, the same student may flounder in the classroom with academic language demands.