What if my child still cannot follow lessons after several months?

Terms used

• Departamento de orientación — The departamento de orientación is the school team that assesses pupils' needs and advises teachers and families.
• EOEP — The EOEP is a regional psychopedagogical guidance team that assesses primary pupils; the name varies by region.
• Adaptación curricular — An adaptación curricular is a plan that adjusts a pupil's schoolwork, materials or exams to their needs.
• Plan de acogida — A plan de acogida is a school's welcome plan to help newly arrived pupils settle and learn the language.

Key rules

• Review: If there is no visible progress in understanding or participation after about 6 months, ask the tutor for a review, and raise concerns sooner if your child is distressed.
• Language alone: Slow Spanish on its own is not a learning disorder and should not be treated as a disability.
• First contact: Start with the tutor, who can bring in the orientation team.
• Health check: Ask your paediatrician to check hearing, vision and development.

Slow progress is usually normal

Struggling with lessons in the first months is common. Everyday Spanish usually comes in one to two years. Academic Spanish, the language of textbooks and exams, takes five to seven years. Slow progress alone does not mean your child has a learning disorder.

Signs of normal slow progress

Look for small gains over the months, even if they are uneven:

• More words understood, and longer sentences when speaking.
• More willingness to try, even with mistakes.
• Growing friendships with classmates.
• Better reading of simple texts.

If you see these, give it time and keep supporting your child.

Signs of a real stall

A stall means no measurable gain in understanding or use of Spanish over roughly three to six months, despite regular exposure and support. Signs include:

• The same errors and the same vocabulary level in work from different terms.
• Understanding that does not grow.
• Refusing to speak at all, or using only the home language at school.
• Avoiding classmates or staying isolated.
• Going backwards.

Ask the teacher to compare work samples from different terms. That is the quickest way to confirm either picture.

What to do next

Talk to the tutor. Do it sooner if your child is distressed or stops progressing in every language. Otherwise, ask for a review once you see no visible progress.

The tutor can bring in the school's orientation team (departamento de orientación, or in primary school the regional psychopedagogical team, EOEP). They first check Spanish level, earlier schooling, reading and writing in the home language, and maths. A formal psychopedagogical evaluation is done only if special educational needs are suspected. Lack of Spanish alone is not treated as a disability.

Useful questions for the tutor and orientation team:

• How are understanding, speaking, reading and writing measured, and was there an initial assessment?
• What language support does your child get, and for how many hours?
• Is there an adapted plan (adaptación curricular or plan de acogida)?
• How is your child coping socially? Is there any sign of bullying or isolation?
• How do subject teachers adapt materials and exams?
• When is the next review meeting?

Ask for answers in writing, and ask for an interpreter if you need one.

When to ask about a learning difficulty

Raise it with the tutor, and do not assume it, if you see more than a new language would explain:

• Late speech or limited vocabulary in the home language too.
• Little progress after a year or more of regular schooling despite good support.
• Persistent trouble with reading, writing, memory or attention that language does not explain.
• A family history of dyslexia or language disorder.
• Difficulties in every setting, not just at school.

You can also request an evaluation in writing. Ask your paediatrician to check hearing, vision and development, since these can look like slow language learning. Ask that the home language be considered in any assessment, and avoid early labels before your child has had enough time and support.

Assessment routes and waiting times differ by region, so ask the school or your regional education authority how it works locally.

If your child has other difficulties, read the checklist and warnings below.

Timeline and deadlines

• Raise your concern with the tutor if your child is distressed or not progressing in any language: at any point, without waiting

• Expect slow academic progress, which is common while conversational Spanish develops: during the first year

• Compare work samples from different terms with the teacher to look for small gains: over 3 to 6 months

• Ask the tutor for a review if you see no visible progress in understanding or participation: after about 6 months

Is my child's school language progress on track?

Is your child's school language progress on track?

• Notice whether your child follows routine instructions, then simple conversation, as the months pass.

• Listen for growth from single words to phrases and sentences, even with mixed languages.

• Watch whether your child plays and chats with classmates and is making friends.

• Check whether your child reads signs and short texts, writes simple sentences and does homework with more independence.

• Read the school report (boletín de notas) for teacher comments on participation, oral comprehension, reading, writing, maths, attitude and integration, and for any language-support measures.

• Compare work samples from different terms with the teacher to see whether the same errors and vocabulary level keep repeating.

• Ask the tutor for a review if you see no visible progress in understanding or participation after 6 months, and bring your notes and work samples.

• Talk to the tutor sooner if progress stops in all languages, your child regresses, or your child is distressed.

• Watch for refusal to go to school, stomach aches or headaches before school, sleep changes, bedwetting, crying, aggression or silence at home too.

• Contact the tutor, the school counsellor (orientador or psychologist) and your paediatrician if these emotional signs last more than a few weeks or are intense.

• Ask the school to rule out low exposure, bullying, and hearing or vision problems if your child avoids peers or stays isolated.

What to watch out for

• A real stall can be missed: If there is no gain in understanding or use for 3 to 6 months, with the same errors, no growth in understanding, regression, or a child who keeps to the home language or stays isolated, waiting longer may not help. Ask the tutor and the orientation team for a review, and check for causes such as bullying, anxiety, low exposure, or hearing and vision problems.

• Assuming a learning disorder too early: Slow progress in a new language is not a sign of a learning difficulty by itself, and an early label can follow your child for years. Ask the school to look at the home language and give enough time and support before any formal evaluation.

• Ignoring a child who refuses to speak or avoids classmates: Refusal to speak at all and avoiding peers can point to anxiety or bullying rather than language alone. Talk to the tutor soon, ask how your child is coping socially, and ask the paediatrician to check hearing and vision.

Frequently asked questions

Does slow Spanish mean my child has a learning disorder?

No, slow progress in Spanish alone does not mean your child has a learning disorder. Spanish rules say that not knowing Spanish is not a special educational need. Look instead at the home language: late speech or limited vocabulary there is a stronger sign.

When should I ask about a possible learning difficulty?

Ask when problems go beyond normal language learning, for example little progress after a year or more of regular schooling. Other signs are trouble in the home language too, ongoing difficulty with reading, writing or memory, or a family history of dyslexia. Start with the class teacher and tutor, and you can also request an evaluation in writing.

Who assesses my child, and what do they look at first?

The school's orientation department (departamento de orientación), or in primary the regional guidance team (EOEP or similar), does the assessment.

Can my child be wrongly labelled with a learning difficulty?

Yes, language learners can be wrongly labelled, because language limits get confused with disorders and many tests are designed for native speakers. Children of foreign origin in Spain are often placed in categories linked to disadvantage.

What should I ask the tutor at the review meeting?

Ask how understanding, speaking, reading and writing are measured, and how many hours of language support your child gets. Ask whether an adapted plan (adaptación curricular) exists and when the next review is.