Speech-Language Pathologists' Perspectives on Language Assessment in Bilingual Children

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Linguistic assessment
• Child language disorders

Background:

• Bilingual children present unique challenges in language assessment.
• Traditional assessment methods may not accurately capture the linguistic abilities of bilingual individuals.
• School-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) require effective strategies for evaluating language disorders in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the assessment practices of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) for bilingual children with suspected language disorders.
• To understand the rationale behind tool selection and data integration in bilingual language assessment.
• To identify current trends in diagnostic decision-making for this population.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative approach using semistructured open interviews.
• Conducted phone interviews with 25 school-based SLPs across the United States.
• Explored assessment tool selection, rationale, and data integration for diagnosis and eligibility.

Main Results:

• SLPs utilize a combination of norm-referenced and informal assessment tools.
• A significant reliance on informal measures (e.g., parent/teacher interviews, language sampling) for diagnostic decisions was observed.
• District policies influenced the use of norm-referenced assessments, while informal tools captured natural language use and detailed case histories.

Conclusions:

• School-based SLPs integrate various assessment methods for bilingual children.
• There is a notable reliance on informal assessments for diagnostic decisions, contrasting with typical monolingual practices.
• Findings suggest SLPs recognize limitations of norm-referenced tests for bilinguals and employ culturally sensitive diagnostic practices.