Guidance for CLD Preschoolers with a Potential Language

Impairment

Stephanie Dahlke, Ed.S, NCSPand

Kimberly Graham, SLP

Language Acquisition vs. Language Impairment

• Language Acquisition (LA)– Process of learning a new language

• Is sometimes mistaken for a language impairment• Can be sequential or simultaneous

• Language Impairment (LI)– An impairment of receptive and/or expressive

language• Must be present in all languages • Prevents typical language development

Language Impairment

• A significant deficit in learning to talk, understand, or use any aspect of language appropriately, relative to both environmental and norm-referenced expectations for children of similar developmental level.– environmental expectations - meaning that the deficit is big

enough to be noticed by the “average” person and affects how the child functions socially or academically in the work in which he or she lives. Thus the deficit has adaptive consequences.

– norm-referenced expectations - meaning that in addition to the child struggling to communicate in everyday life, the child must also score significantly below expectations on some standardized or norm referenced tests.

Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

• 5 Stages of SLA– Silent Stage– Early Production Stage– Speech Emergence Stage – Intermediate Language Proficiency – Advanced Language Proficiency

• Silent period often confuses preschool identification

Classifying Bilinguals• Sequential Bilingual

– L2 (second language) is acquired after L1 (first language)

• Early Sequential Bilingual – Child acquires single L1 since birth and L2 throughout

childhood (typically 2-12 years)• Simultaneous Bilingual

– Child who acquires two languages since birth• Simultaneous vs. Sequential

– There is some debate as to what age simultaneous vs. sequential language acquisition takes place.

Bilingual Language Acquisition

• Language development of simultaneous bilinguals is similar but not identical to monolinguals.

• Language development of sequential bilinguals is similar but not identical to monolinguals over time.

Implications

• Difficult to compare bilingual children who have different language experiences.

• Any single standard for comparing all bilinguals is inappropriate.

• A monolingual standard will misrepresent the true ability of bilingual children. Their skills fall between the two axes, not on them as with monolinguals.

So…how do we assess?

Standardized Testing?• Limited bilingual assessments.

• Standardized language assessments are developed using English cultural norms and English language rules.

• Norming and standardization is done on English speaking children.

Guidance Handout

• A process that can GUIDE assessment.

• Relies on a preponderance of evidence.

Peer Comparisons

• Where to start?– Same ethnicity– Same native language– Same age– Similar time in the United States– Similar exposure to English instruction

Peer Comparisons, continued• What if we don’t have closely similar peers?

– Slowly expand …• Same grade student in another classroom (with

same curriculum) who meets the other criteria. One grade up or down (while meeting other criteria)

• Different time in the United States• Different exposure to English instruction• Different native language

** Comparisons lose validity as the peer search widens.

(Please Note: With Pre-K students, please keep in mind we are working with their age, not their grade.)

Let’s Walk It Through

Sample Child• Jose is a 4 year old in Ms. Jenny’s preschool

class. Jose was born in the United States. Both of his parents are bilingual. Both Spanish and English are spoken in the home. Jose has been enrolled in preschool since age 3.

• The teacher notes the following concerns: needs directions repeated, unable to catch onto concepts that are taught repeatedly, appears reluctant to talk – never shares information on his own, struggles to answer questions correctly even with prompting, and talks in 2 word utterances.

Resources• Paul, R. (2007). Language Disorders from Infancy Through Adolescence: Assessment and Intervention; 3rd edition.  St. Louis,

MO: Mosby,inc.• Bedmore, L.M. & Pena, E.D. (2008). Assessment of bilingual children for identification of language impairment: • Current findings and implications for practice. International Journal of Bilingual Education and • Bilingualism, 11, No.1• Bula, I., Core, C., (2006). Advances in diagnostic protocols for english language learners; an exploratory study. • Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Florida Atlantic university.• Carias, S., Cornish, N., (2008). Not speaking their language? Providing appropriate services to bilingual students. • ASHA conference.• Chabon, S. , Brown , J. E.  & Gildersleeve-Neumann, C. (2010, August 03). Ethics, Equity, and English-Language • Learners: A Decision-Making Framework. The ASHA Leader.• Connell, P.J. & Roseberry, C.A (1991). The use of an invented language rule in the differentiation of normal and • language-impaired spanish-speaking children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 34, 596-603. • Dollaghan, C.A, & Horner, E.A. (2011). Bilingual language assessment: A meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy. • Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 54, 1077-1088• Gutierrez-Clellen, V.F., Simon-Cerej, G., & Wagner, C. (2008). Bilingual children with language impairment: A • comparison with monolinguals and second language learners. Applied Pscycholinguistics, 29, 3-19.• Hakansson, G., Salameh, E.K., & Nettelbadt, U. (2003). Measuring language development in bilingual children: • Swedish-Arabic children with and without language impairments, 41:2, 255-288.• Marian, V. , Faroqi-Shah, Y. , Kaushanskaya, M. , Blumenfeld, H. K.  & Sheng, L. (2009, October 13). Bilingualism • : Consequences for Language, Cognition, Development, and the Brain. The ASHA Leader.

Special Education Statewide Technical Assistance (SESTA)

Center for School Improvement & Policy Studies, BSU

Gina Hopper Katie Bubak Director Statewide

Coordinator ginahopper@boisestate.edu katiebubak@boisestate.edu

www.idahotc.comwww.idahotc.comTraining and Technology for Today’s Tomorrow

• Website to link school professionals and parents with special education training opportunities and resources across the state

• Supported By:– Idaho State

Department of Education (ISDE), Special Education

• Project Team: – Cari Murphy– Shawn Wright

Contact Information:

Please write your questions for this presentation on the SLD FAQ page found on the Idaho Training Clearinghouse at…

http://itcnew.idahotc.com/specific-learning-disability/sld-faq.aspx