Language remediation in mother tongue: a paediatric multilingual picture resource

Bilingual clients frequently feature on speech and language therapists' caseloads and yet they are rarely assessed and treated in their mother tongue. There are few assessments targeting languages other than English. Culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment and remediation materials should be devised for the differing needs of each distinct population. This paper describes the Pakistani Heritage Asian population in Rochdale and one of the first steps taken to address its needs: the development of an early expressive language assessment and remediation package for paediatric clients. Reference is made to the importance of identifying the exact languages spoken, especially when the use of one language may be perceived as denoting lower social status. Semantic and syntactic issues involved in constructing assessments are highlighted.