Beyond Test Scores: Using Drawings and Language Samples to Characterize Multilingual Children's Language Profiles

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Linguistics

Background:

• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasizes children's participation.
• Children's drawings can offer unique insights into their communication experiences.
• Integrating drawings with language sample analysis (LSA) may enhance understanding of multilingual children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utility of children's drawings as a tool for speech-language pathologists working with multilingual children.
• To compare drawing themes and content between children with typical development (TD) and developmental language disorder (DLD).

Main Methods:

• 19 multilingual children (3-5 years) with TD (n=10) and DLD (n=9) participated.
• Children created drawings of themselves talking, completed the Speech Activity and Participation Assessment of Children (SPAA-C), and provided language samples.
• Drawings were analyzed for themes, SPAA-C for emotions, and language samples using LSA measures.

Main Results:

• Children with TD represented more themes in their drawings than those with DLD.
• Both groups reported generally positive emotions on the SPAA-C.
• Children with TD demonstrated higher scores on most LSA measures compared to children with DLD.

Conclusions:

• Children's drawings, when used alongside LSA, can be a valuable tool for speech-language pathologists.
• This approach aids in understanding the diverse communication experiences of multilingual children, including those with DLD.