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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Author Spotlight: Validation of SICOLE-R for Assessing Cognitive and Reading Skills in Spanish-Speaking Children and Its Role in Personalized Education

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Published on: August 16, 2024

Second-language learning difficulties in Italian children with reading difficulties.

Denise Fazio¹, Livia Ferrari¹, Silvia Testa¹

¹Department of Psychology, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy.

The British Journal of Educational Psychology

|April 18, 2020

Summary

Children with dyslexia struggle with foreign language learning. Impaired phonological awareness and working memory significantly impact English reading and writing accuracy in these students.

Keywords:

bilingualism dyslexia phonological awareness reading working memory

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Educational Psychology

Background:

Children with dyslexia often experience difficulties in second-language (L2) reading and writing.
The underlying cognitive mechanisms of L2 impairment in dyslexic children require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the neuropsychological factors influencing foreign language (English) acquisition in Italian students with and without reading difficulties (RD).
To identify cognitive differences between students with RD and typically developing (TD) students in relation to L2 learning.

Main Methods:

A screening of 901 students identified children with RD.
Ninety students with RD were compared to 90 TD students matched for non-verbal IQ, grade, and gender.
Phonological and memory skills were assessed to determine their role in L2 English learning.

Main Results:

Students with RD demonstrated lower performance in phonological awareness and working memory compared to TD students.
These cognitive skills are essential for successful L2 learning.

Conclusions:

Working memory significantly affects accuracy in English writing.
Phonological skills and working memory are crucial for reading accuracy in L2 English.
Socio-economic status is also a key factor in L2 acquisition.