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From https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/10/english-learners-and-reading-challenges

Grace Tatter writes, "Students who are learning English at school tend to be diagnosed with learning disabilities two to three years later than their native English-speaking peers, and they’re underrepresented in special education before the third grade — likely because their teachers assume their reading challenges are rooted in developing language rather than readiness to read. These delays are particularly worrisome, since it’s critical to identify reading challenges sooner, rather than later, to get the most out of appropriate reading interventions, and to minimize negative consequences, like low self-esteem.

"On the flip side, older students are sometimes misdiagnosed with a disability because they score low on English proficiency tests, simply because they aren’t yet fluent in English or may need support in building their academic language abilities."

She summarizes some best practices for identifying reading problems in English learners, as follows:

• "If the child is able to read in a language besides English, assess language and literacy in the non-English language (if possible).
• Use informal and dynamic assessments (for example, test, teach, re-test) that allow English learners to demonstrate what they know and how they learn.
• Use multiple measures that cover oral and written language competencies. These can include measures of vocabulary, listening comprehension, phonological processing, rapid naming, phonics, timed and untimed word reading, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning — all of which can shed light on the source of the difficulty.
• Consult the manuals of all standardized tests administered in your school to investigate how English learners are represented in the norming sample, as well as whether there are specifications for how to modify the test for English learners."

Read the entire short research summary at https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/10/english-learners-and-reading-challenges