Culturally Effective Care for Dual Language Learners: Pediatric Providers' Language Promotion and Developmental...

Culturally effective care for dual-language learners (DLLs) should incorporate evidence-based guidance on bilingual language development. This study assessed pediatric providers' knowledge of bilingualism and provision of culturally effective language promotion and developmental surveillance for DLLs. We also investigated provider-level factors related to these practices.

Pediatric providers (N=349) who conduct birth-five well-child visits completed an online survey that asked about: knowledge of bilingual language development, self-reported language promotion with DLLs, difficulty identifying language delays, and application of culturally effective language promotion and developmental surveillance in clinical vignettes.

The percent of providers who agreed with the evidence-based statements testing knowledge of bilingual language development ranged from 26% to 98% depending on the statement. The percent of providers who self-reported frequently providing culturally effective language promotion to DLLs ranged from 36% to 93% depending on the item. Most (79%) providers reported difficulty identifying language delays in DLLs in cases of language non-concordance, compared to 38% in cases of language concordance and 7% for monolinguals. The percent of providers who responded correctly to hypothetical clinical vignettes ranged from 29% to 95% depending on the vignette. Providers who were bilingual, had received bilingualism training, encountered more DLL patients, and were more knowledgeable about bilingualism reported engaging in more culturally effective care.

This study revealed gaps in pediatric providers' knowledge and provision of culturally effective language promotion and developmental surveillance for DLLs. Promoting a linguistically diverse workforce and providing training on bilingualism may be important ways to support families of DLLs.