cherylw Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 My ds11 dyslexic wants to learn Chinese. He likes the way they write and how it looks. Does anyone have any experience with Chinese in general? Would that be considered much harder as compared to Spanish or French. I'm not really concerned with the academic part of it at this point but if it will help motivate him, I'm willing to give it a try using Rosetta Stone....as funds come available of course.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 My DS12 has severe dyslexia and I wouldn't even think about having him try a foreign language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) My ds11 dyslexic wants to learn Chinese. He likes the way they write and how it looks. Sounds like he is most interested in learning the reading/writing portion of the language, rather than the oral. JMO, but I would focus on this part and look for lessons in Chinese calligraphy, instead of focusing on the spoken part (which was not DS's reason for learning the language) -- so I would not purchase Rosetta Stone. See if there is anyone in your area who could give lessons! :) Here are a few free resources to dabble with while you think it through: Activity Village: Chinese character cards Learning Chinese Writing Symbols for Kids Chinese Made Easy for Kids Chinese for Kids Chinese Character Writing Exercise Worksheets As far as the dyslexia... I don't know how much of a problem it would be in learning individual characters to start with for Chinese. A completely uneducated guess would be that it could be less difficult than having to learn how to put together strings of letters in oodles of combinations to form words as we do with English... Seeing a group of letters and trying to see it in sequential order, either to read it or spell it was what was so difficult for our DS with mild "stealth" dyslexia. Edited October 31, 2012 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Sounds like he is most interested in learning the reading/writing portion of the language, rather than the oral. JMO, but I would focus on this part and look for lessons in Chinese calligraphy, instead of focusing on the spoken part (which was not DS's reason for learning the language) and purchasing Rosetta Stone. See if there is anyone in your area who could give lessons! :) Here are a few free resources to dabble with with you think it through: Activity Village: Chinese character cards Learning Chinese Writing Symbols for Kids Chinese Made Easy for Kids Chinese for Kids Chinese Character Writing Exercise Worksheets As far as the dyslexia... I don't know how much of a problem it would be in learning individual characters to start with for Chinese. A completely uneducated guess would be that it could be less difficult than having to learn how to put together strings of letters in oodles of combinations to form words as we do with English... Seeing a group of letters and trying to see it in sequential order, either to read it or spell it was what was so difficult for our DS with mild "stealth" dyslexia. Thanks for the links! My dyslexic ds also loves Chinese. I suspect it is because the characters are so spatial. The same ds also loves interpreting hieroglyphics. I think he has a better memory of Chinese number characters than he does for our numerals. :D We don't do any oral work though. I eventually plan to have him do Latin for his foreign language since there is no spoken component, but right now we just play at Chinese. I agree that foreign language can be especially difficult for dyslexics. OP- Have you thought about sign language? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I've heard that dyslexia affects all languages, but to me too, it seems like learning characters as an art of calligraphy might be more accessible. Thanks for the links! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Thanks for the links! My dyslexic ds also loves Chinese. I suspect it is because the characters are so spatial. You're welcome! That was my thinking about the Chinese characters -- very spatial, which may make them easier to cope with, as most dyslexics are visual-spatial learners. :) I agree that foreign language can be especially difficult for dyslexics. OP- Have you thought about sign language? Not OP, but -- we did go with American Sign Language in high school as dual enrollment in his senior year, as it was our only hope for a foreign language with our mild "stealth" dyslexic DS. This year as a community college (CC) freshman, he is doing VERY well with it (only the finger spelling is extra difficult for him, BUT, it seems to be improving his everyday spelling!) -- so well, in fact, that is what he is working towards at the CC -- a 3-year AA degree in Interpretation for the Deaf! Fair Prospects: we did manage some Latin roots during our homeschooling years, but a full-blown foreign language was out of reach for this DS, as his biggest areas of dysfunction are in spelling and writing -- which even non-oral Latin would have required. :( However, he did get some great vocabulary out of having worked with roots, so it was worthwhile. BEST of luck as you do foreign language with your dyslexic DC! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylw Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Sounds like he is most interested in learning the reading/writing portion of the language, rather than the oral. JMO, but I would focus on this part and look for lessons in Chinese calligraphy, instead of focusing on the spoken part (which was not DS's reason for learning the language) -- so I would not purchase Rosetta Stone. See if there is anyone in your area who could give lessons! :) Here are a few free resources to dabble with while you think it through: Activity Village: Chinese character cards Learning Chinese Writing Symbols for Kids Chinese Made Easy for Kids Chinese for Kids Chinese Character Writing Exercise Worksheets As far as the dyslexia... I don't know how much of a problem it would be in learning individual characters to start with for Chinese. A completely uneducated guess would be that it could be less difficult than having to learn how to put together strings of letters in oodles of combinations to form words as we do with English... Seeing a group of letters and trying to see it in sequential order, either to read it or spell it was what was so difficult for our DS with mild "stealth" dyslexia. Thanks for the links too! This is my thinking too that it may be a little easier. And as I said before that it would be more for fun anyway and very basic. We have enough struggles as is..:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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