The Literacy Link: How Language Development Drives School Success

Language is more than words, it’s connection, culture, and the foundation for every learning experience a child will have.

Language acquisition forms the foundation of nearly every academic skill, from reading comprehension to problem-solving. For bilingual and limited English proficient (LEP) students, especially in the early grades, academic success is often predicated on their ability to access and use English effectively in the classroom. Research consistently shows that children who begin formal schooling with limited English vocabulary are at a disadvantage across content areas, not because of cognitive deficits, but due to language barriers that impede their ability to understand instruction and demonstrate knowledge (August and Shanahan 2006)¹.

This challenge is particularly evident when students show weaknesses in verbal knowledge, a subcomponent of cognitive ability referred to as Gc, or crystallized intelligence. This factor, closely linked to vocabulary development and language comprehension, significantly impacts reading skills and academic performance. Students with limited exposure to academic English may lag behind their peers, even when they have average or above-average cognitive abilities. Without targeted support, these students may be misidentified or overlooked by special education teams, not because they have a learning disability, but because their language development has not kept pace with academic demands (Klingner and Artiles 2006)².

When Language Delays Mimic Learning Disabilities

Consider a second-grade student named Sofia, who lives in a bilingual home where Spanish is the primary language. Sofia is a quiet, observant child who demonstrates emerging social awareness but struggles with problem-solving and cognitive flexibility. Her assessments reveal weaknesses in both verbal knowledge and problem-solving skills. When assessed to determine whether she should be evaluated in English or Spanish, results showed that she was at an initial level in Spanish and emerging proficient in English. Although Spanish is spoken at home, Sofia is not proficient in the language. Her mother reported that Sofia does not speak Spanish and only understands family members most of the time. Similarly, she is not fully proficient in English, making it difficult to identify the best instructional approach.

Her reading comprehension and vocabulary scores fall well below grade level in English, and testing in Spanish does not yield better results due to her limited proficiency in that language. As an educational diagnostician, I recognize that Sofia’s struggles are not due to a specific learning disability but rather a complex interplay of limited exposure to both languages and underdeveloped cognitive processing skills. Sofia does not qualify for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as her difficulties stem primarily from language acquisition and general cognitive delays rather than a neurological impairment. She might be considered for speech-language services, but these often focus on articulation, receptive, and expressive language, not the broader academic language skills she needs for reading and comprehension. Without a clear path for targeted intervention, students like Sofia can fall through the cracks, their academic challenges misinterpreted or minimized. This highlights the need for early, structured language support that addresses both English development and foundational literacy instruction, tailored to the student’s unique language profile.

Effective Early Interventions for Bilingual Learners

Early intervention is critical for