In short, for a multilingual learner who is struggling with aspects of the curriculum, it can be complex to identify whether their needs are due to EAL or another additional support need.

Under identification of ASN:

·      Multilingual pupils with additional support needs may face a delay in their needs being identified because it is assumed their needs are down to having English as an additional language.

·      Indicators of additional support needs may be put down to being typical behaviours for the child’s level of English language acquisition. They may also be put down to frustration or cultural differences.

Over identification of ASN:

·      The opposite can also happen, with assumptions being made that a child has additional support needs when their needs are actually related to their current level of English language acquisition or cultural differences.

·      Many standardised tests for support for learning assume English language proficiency so can give a false diagnosis of difficulties if not used carefully with multilingual learners.

Barriers to understanding:

·      It can be challenging to unpick a child’s needs and there are many barriers to building understanding the whole picture.

·      Robert Sharples highlights that barriers to holistic understanding of a child’s development include challenges around communication, linguistic/cultural differences and issues with assessment.

·      The following section ‘How do you know’ gives some advice on identifying a child’s needs.

Some content based on information from:

The Bell Foundation

Sharples, R. (2021). Teaching EAL: Evidence-based strategies for the classroom and school. Multilingual Matters. P174