Assessing English Language Learners for Communication Disorders

Resources:

Parent Interview Should Include:

Years in the United States for both parent(s) and child.
How does each parent perceive his/her own proficiency in both L1 and L2.
Country and region of origin, not just language spoken.
Include parent estimation of hours per week child spends listening to each language and hours per week child spends speaking each language.
Have parent(s) describe the communicative contexts of their child’s typical day. (Goldstein, 2005)
Be conscientious that some individuals have fled their native country for persecution and may be reluctant to answer “intrusive” questions. (Beebe, 1994)

Teacher Interview Should Include:

We must identify specific concerns in the areas of
- Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)
- ‘Survival’ communication skills to function and attempt to bridge the proverbial language barrier
- Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) •Are concerns noted in curriculum-based instruction?
- Academic History (for L1 and L2)
In some instances, teacher education is appropriate in the areas of
- Errors (speech/language) likely for this student in academic tasks.
- Comparative appraisal of linguistic components of L1 vs. L2
- ‘Red Flags’

Possible Red Flags:

Student not developing along similar continuum as siblings.
Student is not able to ‘Code Switch.’
Using L1 in an L2 setting
Not to be confused with word-finding-like behaviors typical of highly-proficient bilinguals
Student has a significant birth/developmental history
Parents report “blue baby” or “child stopped talking” Consideration Before Assessment

Considerations for Assessment:

Speech, language and cognitive tests are norm-referenced primarily for CALP in Standard American English.
Find a qualified, specialized interpreter
- Best practice is having a bilingual, CCC’d SLP (ASHA, 1994)
- Or, a bilingual SLP-A
- Or, a bilingual individual who has an understanding of linguistics, multicultural issues and speech pathology.
- Or, an interpreter that has been trained in the administration of standardized tests.
- Family members and staff members should only be a last resort.
- Discuss differences between interpreter’s dialect and student’s.