Accommodating all learners.

Immersion is a learning style that can be beneficial for all students regardless of their needs. Research shows that students with Special Education Needs gain English language, cognitive, and academic skills in language immersion at the same rate as general education students with the appropriate supports (Selvachandran, Kay-Raining Bird, Desousa, & Chen, 2020). These supports can include differentiated instruction, speech-language pathology, and tutoring (Selvachandran, et. al., 2020). The instructional strategies that are used in an immersion classroom tend to have a great deal of repetition, increased visual supports, and a great deal of movement. These strategies tend to be beneficial for all learners. However, while in theory immersion is an educational setting that is beneficial for all students, in practice there can be a lack of appropriate supports in place for students (Baker, Roberson, Kim, 2018). It is vital for parents of children with disabilities to understand appropriate accommodations to advocate for their child.

If you are concerned that your child may struggle in an immersion classroom or your child has a disability which would cause them to struggle, it is important to have a conversation with the immersion teacher. Ask about what supports are in place for struggling students, what instructional strategies are used in the classroom, and what communication supports are students provided with. It is also vital that parents of students with disabilities adequately support their students native language development at home. Many studies show that students with disabilities need event more support in their native language at home in order to make adequate progress(Baker, et. al., 2018). Parents interested in having their child with a disability involved in an immersion program should research accommodations for immersion classrooms and how to support language development at home.