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A Foreign Language Learner with Cerebral Palsy

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Introduction
n Sharon, who has joined your MFL class, has Cerebral Palsy (CP). According to the NHS Direct Health Encyclopaedia, "Cerebral palsy is a general term used by doctors to refer to a set of neurological conditions (conditions that affect the brain and nervous system) that affect a child's movement and coordination. Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain, which normally occurs before, during, or soon after birth. The symptoms of cerebral palsy vary from child to child. Some children will have problems walking, while others will be profoundly disabled and require life-long care. It is estimated that 1 in every 500 children is born with cerebral palsy."

Problem 1
n What are the experiences of MFL learners with CP?
n Find out from the biography of Tyler Fortin, a Canadian stand-up comedian with CP, what happened when his school introduced French as a second language for students of his age. Now read Just give us a chance, Hester Lacey's article in the 31 May 1998 edition of The Independent newspaper, with particular reference to the educational history of Ashley White, a 14-year-old boy with CP who likes languages and now has the opportunity to learn French. What does this case study suggest about disability issues in general and access to MFL in particular?

Problem 2
n How can teachers support learners with CP in MFL lessons?
n In 2005 Stephanie Azzopardi and Alexia Brincau of the University of Malta conducted a research study of a secondary school student with severe CP learning French as a foreign language. According to their BEd thesis abstract, which challenges did the 14 year-old girl's condition bring to the MFL classroom and what helped most to include her in French lessons? Shawn Serdar's Cerebral Palsy: Issues & Strategies for Learning Accommodation exemplifies existing cross-curricular online guides to the inclusion of students with CP: which tactics lend themselves to the MFL classroom? For further information, visit the national cerebral palsy support group SCOPE website.

Further reading
n Azzopardi, S. and Brincau, A. (2005) Students with disability learning foreign languages: A student with cerebral palsy learning French, B.Ed Thesis, University of Malta. Abstract at http://www.education.gov.mt/edu/edu_division/research/research_2005/research_2005_12.htm
n Ingram, G. (2008) 'Case study: an able linguist with cerebral palsy (CP)', in Ingram, G., Meeting the Needs of Your Most Able Pupils - Modern Foreign Languages, London: Routledge, p. 74.

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© 2009 · David R. Wilson