The suitability of Irish immersion education for children with special educational needs

Abstract

Additive bilingualism has long been reported as a benefit of immersion education. Nevertheless, the suitability of this form of education and bilingualism for children with special educational needs (SEN) has been much debated. Recent studies show that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific speech and language disorder (SSLD), and dyslexia can acquire varying levels of proficiency in a second language. Nevertheless, research has highlighted the fact that many educational professionals, for example, educational psychologists and speech and language therapists, continue to recommend against bilingualism and immersion education for children with SEN. The present study will evaluate whether nine parents of children with ASD, SSLD, and dyslexia enrolled in Irish immersion schools and four parents of children with the same categories of SEN who withdrew their child from Irish immersion education (IME) due to their learning difficulties perceive that IME is suitable for their child. It will also investigate the opinions that they received from educational professionals regarding the suitability of this form of education for their child.