Dyslexia and Emergent Bilinguals: Latest Screeners & Strategies for Inclusive Literacy Instruction
Teachers of Emergent Bilinguals! October is Dyslexia Awareness Month!
Many educators—without realizing it—may have emergent bilinguals with dyslexia in their classrooms. This year, as we focus on equity through evidence-based instruction, let’s explore how to recognize and support these learners.
What Is Dyslexia?
The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as:
“A specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin … characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.”
Key points:
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Dyslexia is language-based, not an intellectual disability.
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It involves difficulty connecting the sounds of oral language to written symbols.
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Dyslexia ranges from mild to severe and may be overlooked or misdiagnosed.
Signs of Dyslexia
In Younger Students (PreK–2):
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Struggles with connecting sounds to symbols, letter recognition, and blending sounds
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Slow progress in decoding compared to peers
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Difficulty forming letters and spelling words
In Older Students:
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Reluctance to read or write
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Limited vocabulary growth
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Weak reading comprehension and written expression
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Fatigue during extended writing tasks
Latest Dyslexia Screeners
Schools are increasingly adopting early screeners and phonological/phonemic awareness assessments to identify young students at risk.
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Acadience and Heggerty (used by NYC DOE as part of the NYC Reads initiative)
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i-Ready (decoding skills in English and Spanish)
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Amira Learning (AI-based oral reading and dyslexia risk screening)
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mCLASS Lectura (Spanish literacy and dyslexia screener)
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Multitudes (UCSF) – available in Spanish and Mandarin
These tools help schools provide targeted interventions early rather than waiting for students to fail.
Emergent Bilinguals and Dyslexia
Step 1: Oral Language Proficiency
Ask: Has the student had enough time to develop oral English?
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Newcomers need several or more months of oral language exposure before phonics instruction becomes effective.
Step 2: Decoding in English & Home Language
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Assess decoding once oral English is emerging.
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Tools like i-Ready (Spanish) and Multitudes (Spanish/Mandarin) can help.
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For older students in NY state, the Multilingual SIFE Screener determines gaps in home-language literacy.
Step 3: Instructional Response
If a student:
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has oral proficiency, plus
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has received systematic phonics instruction, but
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still struggles more than multilingual peers → dyslexia should be considered.
Instruction That Works
Evidence-based instruction for students with dyslexia—and all emergent bilinguals—includes:
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Phonemic awareness (developing mastery of the sounds of English)
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Spelling (connecting sounds to their spellings)
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Vocabulary development
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Fluency
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Comprehension
For multilingual learners, add cross-linguistic awareness:
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Highlight similarities and differences between English and the home language.
Programs and Resources
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Phonics for Reading (Grades 3–12, but not designed for newcomers; available in NYC schools)
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Lexia PowerUp Literacy (Available in NYC schools)
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University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) Foundations Toolbox – comprehensive phonics curriculum with free lesson slides and decodable texts
Key Takeaways for Teachers
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Dyslexia is not a measure of intelligence—it’s a language-based challenge.
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Screen early using tools validated for multilingual learners.
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Provide explicit, systematic phonics instruction for all emergent bilinguals, not just those with dyslexia.
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Leverage free and structured resources to support instruction.
💬 Your Turn:
Teachers, what supports have you found most effective for emergent bilinguals with dyslexia? Share your experiences and questions in the comments!