Lexicon acquisition and students with specific learning disorders: analysis of a didactic unit in an English textbook, tools and supportive activities to achieve educational success

Abstract

Learning a foreign language is a challenging task for everyone, especially for students with specific learning disorders (SLD). This work will try to explain the main difficulties encountered by these students when dealing with FL learning, focusing in particular on those related to lexicon acquisition. In addition, some useful tools for supporting and helping them acquire this skill will be seen, taking the Italian Law 170/2010 Nuove norme in materia di disturbi specifici di apprendimento in ambito scolastico (New rules about specific learning difficulties in the teaching environment) as reference. To conclude, a didactic unit in an A1 English textbook will be analysed to understand if lexicon deserves the proper attention and if the textbook considers the limitations of students with SLD in acquiring it. Finally, some activities to carry out before, during and after the didactic unit will be proposed in order to help students learn and memorise the lexicon, in the hope that this could allow them to achieve educational success.