Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency in EFL Oral Performance of Italian Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties

This study investigates the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of English oral productions by 32 Italian university students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), using data from the developing Neurodivergent Learner Corpus. Results reveal performance patterns associated with the type of course attended (intensive vs. extensive) and the type of learning difficulty. Learners with multiple SpLDs exhibited greater processing demands, reflected in longer pauses, lower grammatical accuracy, but also more successful self-corrections. By contrast, students with dyslexia spoke more fluently and maintained better grammatical control, despite less efficient self-monitoring. Findings suggest that multiple SpLDs might impose broader processing challenges affecting both fluency and accuracy. While the results are not generalisable, the study indicates that L2 difficulties in SpLD learners go beyond reading and writing and highlights the need for further corpus-based research on language teaching and learning to neurodivergent learners.