Speech audiometry and Spanish-English bilinguals: challenges in clinical practice

The Spanish-English bilingual population has been on a steady rise in the United States and is projected to continue to grow. Speech audiometry, a key component of hearing care, must be customized for this linguistically unique and diverse population.

The tutorial summarizes recent findings concerning Spanish-English bilinguals' performance on English and Spanish speech audiometric tests in the context of the psychometric properties of the tests and the language and dialect profile of the individual (language status, history, stability, competency, and use). The tutorial also provides arguments for evaluating bilingual clients in Spanish, in English, or in both languages, which may serve as rationales in support of varied bilingual clinical practices. Last, the tutorial provides information regarding Spanish speech audiometry, including available tests, issues that clinicians may encounter when administering them, and dialectal consideration.

It is a challenge as well as an opportunity for clinicians to expand service to the Spanish-English bilingual community. Understanding the characteristics of the individual and the test is essential for ensuring quality services to the bilingual client.