"Dyslexia, ADHD, Autism: Encouraging and Supporting All L2 Learners"
Sara Lee
Associate Teaching Professor of German, Arizona State University 

Up to 20% of people in the U.S. have dyslexia, which means that about 4-6 students in every classroom struggle with reading and writing, spelling, and executive functions. How does this manifest in second language acquisition?
This workshop will introduce dyslexia from a medical and educational perspective and explain how it presents in second language learning. We will conduct error analyses on writing samples to determine which errors are developmentally expected in language acquisition or could point toward auditory processing challenges or dyslexia.
In the second part of the workshop, we will focus on classroom methodology to support learners with dyslexia and consider how universal design can help address the heterogeneity in learner needs in general activities and assessments.  

Bio: Sara Lee is an Associate Teaching Professor of German at Arizona State University. She is a certified K-12 teacher and dyslexia therapist. Sara combines her knowledge and experience to be a strong advocate for neurodiverse learners of world languages. Her current research is developing an error analysis and intervention to increase spelling proficiency for learners of German. As a German Educational Multiplier, she travels nationally and internationally to give workshops and presentations on how language educators can support their neurodiverse learners. Sara is the 2024 Southwest Conference on Language Teaching (SWCOLT) Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the 2025 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year. 

This 90-minute workshop will be held in person in G25 Stimson and will also be streamed live over Zoom (registration required). Join us at the LRC or on Zoom. 

The event is free and open to the public.

Co-sponsored by the German the Educational Multipliers Network, established by the American Association of Teachers of German and Goethe-Institut.