Moving to Germany (Nürnberg) with 10 year old dyslexic child

Hey all,


I'm thinking about moving to Germany (Nürnberg). My concern is that I have a 10 year old daugther with ADHD & dyslexia and I want to make sure she can get all the support she needs in school.  Here in Spain the teachers are really helpful. They give her extra time in the exams, shorten the homework + provide her with extra help etc.. Not sure how the system is in Germany. If the school and teachers are comprehensive & prepared for these kind of situation. I don't want my daugther to suffer if we end up moving there Thanks.

Geman schools do have some provisions for kids with disabilities, but you better ask directly at the school you want to send your daughter to (or at the local Schulamt, if you aren't sure yet which school to choose) about what measues are available and under which circumstances.

In any case, if your daughter does not yet speak German well, she will probably have to attend preparatory classes initially (and lose that time academically) before she can enter a normal German school.

Beppi gave a good answer. A question will be how far on the spectrum she is. They have special schools for disabled, formerly called Sonderschulen, now usually referred to as Förderschulen. Definitely the choice for severe disabilities. In normal schools they might be able to provide special attention to one with mild disabilities. The problem is usually for a child at the cusp between the 2. And with the language factor thrown in it makes it all the more complex at least at the beginning.

It might well be that one ends up in a school that doesn't fit well. I would assume a change would be possible if this is clearly the case but it kind of depends on what is available. A change of schools can also be another upheaval and another question is proximity of where one lives. Not so great if one goes to a nearby school and then has to change to one on the other side of the city meaning either a move of residency; always daunting in the tight German housing market, or alternatively have to commute a long way to get to a special school.

The bottom line is that Germany tries but it depends on available resources and a number of other factors if one can really find a great solution. It is certainly not guaranteed just because Germany is known to be an advanced country. I don't know the school system in Nürnberg personally but at least it is a decent sized city rather than a small, poor community where one would likely face limited opportunities.

What I always say to people intending to come to Germany is to do the best you (and your child) can to learn the language already before you come. At least in Germany, one can usually find university students as low-priced tutors. They might not have the experience of a professional but can give individual attention one won't get in a course