How to Teach English to a Child with Dyslexia and Learning Difficulties: A Practical Guide

September 4, 2026 6 min read

By the i-fal Editorial Team · Published: 3 September 2026 · Last updated: 3 September 2026

Teaching English to a child with dyslexia or learning difficulties requires a departure from traditional rote memorization toward specialized pedagogical strategies that prioritize sensory engagement and psychological safety. Research indicates that multisensory learning, micro-learning segments, and native language scaffolding are the most effective ways to build linguistic confidence in neurodivergent students. By focusing on how a child processes information rather than just the curriculum, parents can transform English from a source of frustration into a reachable skill.

What are the most effective strategies for teaching English to students with dyslexia?

The most successful strategies for teaching English to students with dyslexia involve multisensory learning, where sight, sound, and touch are engaged simultaneously to reinforce language patterns. Additionally, micro-learning—breaking concepts into small, digestible 25-minute units—helps prevent cognitive overload and frustration while maintaining focus during the lesson.

Students with dyslexia often struggle with phonological awareness, making it difficult to decode the relationship between letters and sounds. To combat this, educators use the VAKT method (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Tactile). In practice, this might mean a student sees the word ‘cat,’ hears the teacher say it, traces the letters in the air, and uses an interactive digital tool to move the letters into place. By engaging multiple pathways to the brain, the student is more likely to retain the information. Furthermore, focusing on phonetics-based games helps students understand the building blocks of the English language without the pressure of long-form writing tasks initially. Using The Repeated Reading (RR) Revival techniques can also significantly boost fluency by allowing the student to master short texts through repetition before moving to complex material.

How does the ‘Preview, View, Review’ strategy help Israeli students?

The ‘Preview, View, Review’ strategy leverages the student’s native Hebrew to build a conceptual foundation before introducing English content. By discussing a new topic in Hebrew first (Preview), learning the English terminology (View), and then summarizing the lesson back in Hebrew (Review), the student avoids the confusion of learning new concepts and a new language simultaneously.

For an Israeli child struggling with English, the language barrier often feels like an insurmountable wall. When a student doesn’t understand the basic concept being taught, they cannot focus on the English vocabulary used to describe it. By using Hebrew support, the teacher ensures the child understands the ‘what’ before tackling the ‘how.’ This is particularly useful for students who might have found success in helping a 4th grader struggling with English by creating a safe space where they don’t feel lost. This bridging technique reduces anxiety and allows the child to focus their cognitive resources on phonetic decoding and word recognition rather than conceptual confusion.

Who is this pedagogical approach for?

This specialized approach is designed for specific profiles of learners who find traditional classroom environments ineffective or overwhelming. It is primarily for:

Children diagnosed with Dyslexia: Who need phonetic-based instruction and multisensory engagement.
Students with ADHD or Attention Issues: Who benefit from short, 25-minute micro-learning sessions rather than long 45-60 minute classes.
Israeli Parents: Who need an affordable way (averaging 20 NIS per lesson) to provide one-on-one attention that private tutors (charging 100-200 NIS) usually provide.
Learners with ‘Language Anxiety’: Who have dropped out of group courses and need a private, non-judgmental environment.

Who is this not for?

While highly effective for many, this specific methodology may not be suitable for everyone. It is not intended for:

Students seeking instant results: Language acquisition for neurodivergent learners is a marathon, not a sprint; consistency is key.
Severe Clinical Cases: Children who require intensive speech therapy or clinical psychological intervention beyond standard language instruction.
Passive Learners: Those who are not willing to engage with interactive AI practice or follow-up lesson reports between sessions.

What should you know before starting?

Before beginning a new English program for a child with learning difficulties, it is vital to manage expectations and establish a routine. Learning a second language involves a ‘silent period’ where the child may understand more than they can speak. Patience is essential. Ensure the learning environment is quiet and free from distractions. It is also important to recognize that for these students, the goal is functional fluency and confidence, not necessarily perfect grammar from day one. Understanding the Language as Skill Cognitive Framework can help parents view English as a physical skill like swimming, which requires constant, low-pressure practice rather than just memorizing rules.

How does it work in practice with i-fal?

i-fal provides a structured yet flexible environment tailored to the needs of students with dyslexia and learning difficulties. Here is the step-by-step process:

Download and Setup: Parents download the i-fal app on iOS or Android and book a free 20-minute trial lesson with no commitment.
Personalized Scheduling: Lessons can be scheduled as little as 15 minutes before they start, between 06:00 and 23:30, Sunday through Saturday.
The Lesson: Each session is a 25-minute private video lesson with a real human teacher, perfect for the shorter attention spans of students with ADHD or dyslexia.
Post-Lesson Support: After every session, a personal lesson report is sent, detailing the words and sentences learned.
AI Integration: Between human-led lessons, students use AI practice tools to reinforce vocabulary in a gamified, low-stress way.
Subscription: Plans start at 209 NIS for 8 lessons (roughly 26 NIS per lesson) and go down to approximately 18 NIS per lesson for larger plans, with the ability to cancel anytime.

A Case Study: Success in 25 Minutes

Consider the case of ‘Ariel,’ a 10-year-old Israeli student with dyslexia. In his school of 30 students, he felt invisible and stopped participating in English class. His parents started him on i-fal with two 25-minute lessons per week. Because the lessons were short, he didn’t feel overwhelmed. The teacher used the ‘Preview, View, Review’ method, explaining concepts in Hebrew when Ariel got stuck. Over three months, the combination of human encouragement and AI vocabulary practice helped Ariel move from failing grades to participating confidently in his school lessons. He wasn’t just learning words; he was learning that he could learn.

What’s new in the i-fal app?

The latest i-fal app update (29.2 for Android) introduces features that make tracking progress easier for students with learning difficulties. Learners can now earn visual achievements to stay motivated, mark specific words as ‘learned’ to refine their personalized curriculum, and choose multiple lesson preferences to ensure their teacher uses the exact multisensory methods they prefer.

Ready to see how a personalized, one-on-one approach can change your child’s relationship with English? Start with a free trial today and give them the tools to succeed at their own pace. Book your free 20-minute trial lesson now.