Why Being Neurodivergent Makes Learning a Foreign Language So Challenging

It's always a good time to reflect on your journey.

A Personal Journey from Struggle to Solution

My name is Emma M, and I'm the founder of Fully Spoken. As someone who has both dyslexia and dyspraxia, learning languages has always been an enormous challenge for me. My journey started with Cantonese—one of the toughest languages, thanks to its tonal nuances and complex writing system involving Traditional and Colloquial Chinese characters. Driven by my deep passion for East Asian cinema, particularly Hong Kong films, I threw myself into learning Cantonese, determined to achieve fluency.

Over the past eight years, I've tried everything university evening short courses, private online lessons, group classes, online resources. Unfortunately, I discovered that very few resources were designed for neurodivergent learners like myself. Most tutors were supportive but lacked the specialist knowledge to truly accommodate my specific learning difficulties. This left me feeling frustrated, stuck, and losing confidence, despite my best efforts and considerable investment.

The Hidden Barriers Neurodivergent Learners Face

Many neurodivergent learners face barriers that go unnoticed by traditional language instruction methods. Challenges include:

• Processing speed difficulties: Rapid speech, complex grammar, and lengthy instructions can quickly overwhelm.

• Memory and retention struggles: Vocabulary doesn’t stick, no matter how often it's repeated.

• Social and communication anxieties: Engaging in conversation feels intimidating, impacting confidence.

• Executive functioning difficulties: Challenges with organising and managing learning tasks make language acquisition feel nearly impossible.

  
  

Why Language Matters, Especially for Neurodivergent Learners

Today, learning a foreign language isn't just an academic pursuit, it's essential for employment opportunities, career progression, international collaboration, cultural integration, and personal growth. In many English-speaking countries, individuals whose first language isn’t English are often expected to use English in public, academic, or professional settings — even if they speak a different language like Hindi at home. This creates pressure to adapt linguistically, especially in workplaces where multilingual communication isn’t actively supported. But when teaching methods fail to support neurodivergent individuals, the consequences are serious: lost opportunities, decreased self-esteem, and limited career growth.

How Fully Spoken Changes This

Fully Spoken was born from my personal struggle and a clear recognition of what was missing, specialised, one-to-one language coaching tailored specifically for neurodivergent learners. Our approach is simple yet powerful:

• Specialist Neurodivergent Language Coaches: Carefully matched to each learner based on their qualifications and experience in language teaching and neurodiversity.

• Bespoke language sessions: Coaches create individualised learning plans tailored exactly to each learner's strengths, challenges, and personal goals.

• Practical and confidence-building methods: Rather than rote memorisation, tutors apply practical, real-world scenarios, multisensory techniques, and executive function strategies to ensure genuine language fluency and improved self-esteem.

  
  

Making Language Learning Inclusive for Everyone

At Fully Spoken, we’re not just about language learning—we're advocating for genuine inclusion in businesses, schools, and community organisations. By connecting neurodivergent learners to specialised language coaches, we’re actively breaking down language barriers, enabling learners to thrive in multilingual environments and succeed academically, professionally, and socially.

If your organisation believes in truly inclusive language learning, let's talk about how Fully Spoken can support your learners, students, or employees. Together, we can make sure nobody gets left behind.