Free Workshop: Learning Dutch Outside the Lines

Learning Dutch Outside the Lines
Setting yourself up for success as a neurodivergent language learner

Learning Dutch when you have a neurodivergent brain can be... a lot.
Maybe you dive headfirst into a new method, app or textbook, only to lose interest a few weeks later. Maybe you understand much more Dutch than you actually speak. Maybe you've collected plenty of words and grammar rules, but actually using them when another human being is standing in front of you is a completely different story.

Or maybe you keep learning things, don't use them, forget them and find yourself starting over again.

When that happens often enough, it's easy to conclude that you need more discipline, a better routine or yet another shiny new Notebook of Hope™️.

But what if we got curious instead?

In this interactive workshop, we'll take a closer look at how you learn and use Dutch, where things tend to get difficult for you, and what the learning advice you've picked up along the way assumes you're able to do.

We'll explore questions such as: What are you doing because it genuinely helps you, and what are you doing because that's supposedly how you're meant to learn a language? What happens when you try to use the Dutch you already know? What makes it difficult to keep coming back after you've fallen out of a routine? And how can you make learning and using Dutch work better with your brain instead of constantly fighting it?

Along the way, we'll release some assumptions that may no longer be helping, reframe some of the things you've been treating as problems or failures, and reconnect with what you actually want Dutch to do for you.

This isn't a workshop about finding the One Perfect Neurodivergent Learning Method™️. Different brains need different things. The aim is to understand your own learning a little better and leave with practical ideas you can experiment with in your actual life.

About your facilitator

My name's Vika Lukina and I've been teaching Dutch to international adults since 2014. My work is especially suited to analytical learners who want to understand why something is difficult rather than simply being told to practise harder, speak more or stop worrying about mistakes.

I don't believe there's one correct way to learn a language, neurodivergent or otherwise. A large part of my work involves asking annoyingly persistent questions, figuring out what is actually getting in someone's way, and helping them find strategies that fit the person rather than trying to reshape the person to fit the strategy.

Practical information
📅 Thursday, October 15th 2026
🕐 18:00–20:15 CEST
📍 Online via Microsoft Teams
🎫 Free of charge
🗣️ Language: English

No particular level of Dutch is required. Whether you've only recently started learning or have been collecting Dutch for years but still struggle to actually use it, you're welcome.

Expect questions, reflection, discussion and practical exercises rather than a two-hour lecture.

Please fill out the registration form to receive a confirmation email and reminders the day before and on the day of the workshop.

Please make sure to check your spam folder too and/or whitelist vika@toodutchtohandle.com (spam filters hate my email address).

No particular level of Dutch is required.