Writing is one of the most important skills English as a second language learners must master, particularly for students and working professionals. That’s because unlike in speaking exercises, when you write you leave a lasting record of your language.

Mistakes in spelling, grammar and word choice are immediately evident. And while literacy skills are not a reflection of intelligence or knowledge, poor writing can cause a student to receive lower marks, even if they know a lot about the subject of the assignment. In a professional context, people may judge you as lazy or untrustworthy if you send poorly written emails full of mistakes.

They are also likely to assume your spoken ability in English is quite low, though this may or may not be the case. That’s why it is important to improve writing skills in English before they prevent you from reaching your full potential at school or in the workplace.

For individuals with dyslexia, learning to read and write in their mother tongue can be quite a challenge. When it comes time to learn modern foreign languages at school, many feel the ordeal of mastering literacy skills all over again is not worth the time and effort.

Depending on the country and school system, it may be possible for students with dyslexia to be released from the foreign language learning requirement. But there may also be some added benefits for dyslexic students who decide to pursue study of languages outside of English.

How successful they are depends on the individual student, the approach taken, and to some degree, the language students choose to learn.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyspraxia can prevent children from reaching their full potential in the classroom. While ADHD affects attention, behavior or both, dyspraxia has to do with fine motor skills and planning abilities. It's also possible for dyspraxia to look like the learning difficulty dysgraphia when it leads to difficulties with handwriting.

Both ADHD and dyspraxia can cause poor performance at school and have knock on effects such as low self-esteem and a lack of confidence. They can also co-present and result in affected children experiencing even more frustration with everyday classroom tasks.

But by being aware of a child’s particular symptoms and implementing specific teaching and learning strategies, parents and educators can help children with dyspraxia and/or ADHD overcome these challenges and feel more successful at school.

Do you remember learning keyboarding at school? Depending on when and where you grew up, you may have studied touch-typing as part of a computer science course. Before computers at home were common, a school’s computer lab was one of the only places where students had the opportunity to learn correct finger placement and practice typing.

Today this is no longer the case. Children are exposed to keyboards on a range of devices from an early age. Many families have computers at home, some kids have their own tablets with wireless keyboards, and it's common to find local libraries with public computers available for use. Yet despite children developing early familiarity with keyboards and being more "tech savvy," most students cannot type without looking at the keyboard.

Moreover, it's not as common for schools to offer typing programs. This is the case even given an increase in the amount of schoolwork students complete electronically and online.

Processing speed is a way of describing how the brain receives, understands and responds to information. Not everyone thinks at the same pace. And while speed has nothing to do with how smart a child is, kids who struggle with slow processing speed may struggle to follow lessons and complete tasks at school.

Slow processing speed is also related to literacy development and math skills. It can cause a child to fall behind their peers, become frustrated, and form negative associations with learning. Often these experiences make kids think they aren’t good at school, causing low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence.

But this downward spiral can be avoided if the symptoms are recognized early on. When students are provided with targeted strategy training and teachers adjust tasks appropriately, it gives kids with slow processing speed the best chance of reaching their full potential.