Derick D. Deweber, M.S., CCC-SLP

Bilingual Speech-Language PathologistDeweber and Associates, PLLC

- Diverse Demographics of United States- Overview of Culture and Belief Values- Models of Bilingual Language Development- ASHA Guidelines for Bilingual Language

Assessment- Methods for Assessment- Working with Interpreters- Therapy Ideas for this Population- Case Study- Questions

US census data from 2000 show that during the 1990s: Hispanic population increased by 58% Asian population increased by 48% Native American, Pacific Islander increased by

35% and African American Population increased by 16%

In last 20 years, the non-hispanic white population grew by 7.6%

Population of US of Hispanic or Latino origin projected to increase from 12.6% in 2000 to 24.4% in 2050

Overall, 87% of Hispanic Population in the United States is concentrated in 10 states:

California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Arizona, New

Mexico, Colorado and Massachusetts

Legend

Estimated that 19.6% of US population speaks a language other than English at home

Of these families 63% speak Spanish, while 37% speak one of the 100 different minority languages

By year 2070, 47% of the US population is expected to speak Spanish as a first language

Legend

Some Hispanics may prefer to organize into extended family systems

Some Hispanics may tend to be more person oriented

Some Hispanics may only seek help only when perceived crisis exists

Use of Spanish Language is an important social tool

Value Implication Respect Elders Greet family and elders Circularness, wholeness Work with student and

family Silence is valued Listen. Wait for answers Priv. for personal matters Tell why asking

questions Congeniality Accept food/drinks Accept what is Prevention not as

important Time is viewed differently Family over therapy Healers give tangible objects Leave something at end

of appointment (i.e., pamphlet, toy, etc)

The continuum of language input Parental beliefs Aspects of culture Environmental factors

Parental education Parental economic resources Parental psychological status

Silent Period Code-switching Transfer Interference Subtractive bilingual environments Additive bilingual environments Immersion Simultaneous Bilingual Sequential Bilingual

Unitary Language System Hypothesis (Volterra and Taeschner, 1978) Children’s brains process with a single language

system that combines rules and input from their two language input

Dual Language System Hypothesis (Genesee, 1989) Assumes that children exposed to two languages

from birth establish two separate linguistic systems from outset of acquisition

See Cummins Handout

See Roseberry-Mckibbin Handout

A child who simultaneously develops two languages reaches some language development milestones in a way similar to a monolingual child

For example, these children speak their first words and word combinations at the same age that monolingual children do (Kayser, 2002)

A child learning a second language manifests normal characteristics and processes as the second language is being acquired

Some of these are: Silent period Code-switching Transfer Language loss

In the early stages of learning a second a second language (L2), most students focus on comprehension and very little speaking

The younger the student, the longer the silent period usually lasts

Students introduced to L2 during the preschool years may speak very little L1 or in L2 for an extended period of time (Brice, 2002; Hakuta 1978; Krashen 1992)

This is the phenomenon of alternating between 2 languages within a single phrase, sentence, or discourse

Bilingual children commonly use this strategy (Brice & Anderson, 1999)

Generally, code-switching is a normal communication behavior

Code-switching is used by multilingual adults and children around the world

When students are learning an L2, they make errors that reflect the influence of L1

For example: in Spanish, a child would say “la casa verde” (the house green)

If a Spanish-speaking child pointed to a picture and said, “Look-I see the house green” this would be transfer from Spanish, not a sign of a clinically significant problem with syntax

Transfer can occur in all areas of speech and language: syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics

Errors of transfer from L1 are NOT signs of a communication disorder. These errors indicate a communication difference, not a disorder

Many ELL students’ L1 is not maintained in school through bilingual education

Unfortunately, they experience language loss in L1

This, in combination with other variables, can lead to achievement of low test scores in both L1 and English

Simultaneous acquisition occurs when a child is exposed to 2 languages from infancy in natural situations

Interference between L1 and L2 is minimal Early infancy is the ideal time for a child to

be exposed to 2+ languages

The child is exposed to L1 during infancy, and learns L2 at a later time

Sequential learners may show greater diversity in rates and stages of acquisition (Kayser, 2002; Langdon, 1992)

If L2 is introduced sequentially before a strong L1 foundation has been established (6-8 yrs.), L1 development may be arrested or even regress while L2 is being formed

These students, for a while, achieve low test scores in both L1 and L2—this can cause them to appear language-learning disabled when they are not

Preschool children who learn English in a sequential manner are especially vulnerable to this situation

Additive vs. Subtractive Bilingualism Additive Bilingualism – the ideal situation,

where the student’s L1 is nurtured and developed along with L2 Research shows that additive bilingualism has

great cognitive and linguistic benefits Subtractive Bilingualism- the student’s L1 is

not nurtured or developed It is replaced by L2; language loss in L1 occurs In many cases can lead to academic failure

At-Risk factors Macarthur found that persons who spoke

languages other than English were at least twice as likely to drop out of school

Low family incomes and low parental education Cultural change/language shift

Civil Rights Legislation Special Education Legislation

Title VI of Civil Rights Act of 1964 Update 2000: Executive Order 13166: Institutions

could lose funding if found to be discriminatory in provision of services to those who speak a language other than English at home

Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1975 Sec. 1703(f) requires SEAs to take action to over come

language barriers that impede ELL students from participating in district education programs

IDEA 2004 Title 1, Part B, Sec. 614, paragraph (b), assessments

are “provided and administered in the language and form most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows and can do academically, developmentally, and functionally, unless it is not feasible to so provide or administer.”

Transitional Bilingual Education involves education in a child's native language, typically for no more than three years, to ensure that students do not fall behind in content areas like math, science, and social studies while they are learning English.

Two-Way or Dual Language Immersion Bilingual Education. These programs are designed to help native and non-native English speakers become bilingual and biliterate.

Dual Language program that has students study in two different ways: 1) A variety of academic subjects are taught in the students' second language, with specially trained bilingual teachers who can understand students when they ask questions in their native language, but always answer in the second language; and 2) Native language literacy classes improve students' writing and higher-order language skills in their first language. Research has shown that many of the skills learned in the native language can be transferred easily to the second language later.

Late-Exit or Developmental Bilingual Education. Education is in the child's native language for an extended duration, accompanied by education in English. The goal is to develop literacy in the child's native language first, and transfer these skills to the second language.

ASHA has several policy documents pertaining to service delivery in CLD populations

All consistent with federal policies and regulations

There are a number of policies and documents specifically useful for individuals who work with 3 to 5 year old populations

The Clinical Management of Communicatively Handicapped Minority Language Populations (1985) Simply reminds us to provide assessments in

languages used by child If you do not speak language, should include

bilingual service providers If unable to find bilingual provider should use

TRAINED interpreter Document lists, in order of preference, who

should be contacted as interpreter Intervention should be provided in languages of

assessment

The Knowledge and Skills Needed by Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists to Provide Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (2004) Provides guidance for monolingual service

providers Providers required to have knowledge to

determine if child has a difference or disorder In addition, they should be able to work with an

interpreter

Provision of Instruction in English as a Second Language by Speech-Language Pathologists in School Settings (1998) Position paper/technical report to clarify that

ASHA-certified SLPs do not provide ESL services unless they have applied for and have been hired for that position

It is appropriate to provide tips to classroom teachers

ESL service is a general education service ASHA members work with persons who have

communication impairments/differences

General considerations Is student manifesting characteristics of normal

SLA and/or bilingual development that are mistakenly identified as a language-learning disability?

Is there a mismatch between the student’s background/environment and the school’s expectations?

Review Diagnostic Pie SLPs only serve children in Quadrants 3 and 4

IDEA permits the use of qualitative, subjective measures

But…standardized, formal tests are generally preferred for schools, educational programs

Many SLPs operate from the belief that we must always obtain quantitative data

Very few standardized tests in most languages

Most standardized tests are developed from a Western, literate, middle class framework

Tests have assumptions Students will cooperate Students will be comfortable with unfamiliar

adult Students will be proficient in verbal display of

knowledge Students will understand and perform unfamiliar

tasks

Types of clothing Foods Money US nursery rhyme and fairy tales Electrical appliances Snow and cold weather

Work with Trained Interpreters Modify Standardized Tests Informal, Non-standardized Assessments

Interpreters and Translators in Communication Disorders Henriette W. Langdon, EdD

Thinking Publications, 2002

BID Process Briefing Interaction Debriefing

Need to have these skills: Literacy in both English and Spanish Ability to interact appropriate in both languages Ability to maintain confidentiality Knowledge of educational system and relevant

terminology Areas of training:

Ethical practices Professional terminology Rationale for procedures used in assessment Implementation of strategies

Training strategies: Role-playing Practice administering procedure to a speaker of

English of the same as a child Use the cultural informant as a resource for

evaluating the interpreter’s skills

Give instructions in L1 and English Rephrase confusing instructions Give extra examples and demonstrations Give the student extra time to respond Repeat items when necessary

If student gives “wrong” answer ask for explanation

Omit items student will probably miss Test beyond the ceiling Complete assessment in several sessions Count as correct answer in either language

Team Approach to Comprehensive Assessment Handout

Checklists Interviews Portfolio Assessment Narrative Assessment Observe child in a number of communication

environments Dynamic assessment

Evaluates a student’s ability to learn when provided with instruction

Review of information gained from formalized assessments and informal methods

Comparison of child’s ability to language norms Thorough understanding of language differences

that exist between English and Spanish languages Semantics Phonology Syntax Morphology Pragmatics

Awareness of heterogeneity of bilingual children

Linguistic Feature

Spanish English

Word order variation

High Low

Inflectional morphology

Rich Sparse

Morphological regularity

Multiple regular and irregular forms

One regular; multiple regulars

Omission of sentence constituents

Subjects can be omitted

Not permitted

Lexical ambiguity Low (due to inflectional markings)

High (esp. for nouns and verbs

Linguistic Feature

Spanish English

Use of compounding

Low High

Grammatical cues to word identity

Gender and form class (masc. and fem)

Form class only

Word length in syllables

Long Short

Canonical syllable shape

CV CVC

Orthographic regularity

Highly regular Highly opaque

Depends on age/stage of learning Evidence from sequential bilinguals suggests that

starting with teaching words in L1 and later teaching in English is more efficient than starting with words in L2

In adults with limited L2, form-meaning mappings appear to be mediated by relating L2 word to an equivalent word in L1

For sequential learners past beginning L2 stages, may be more effective to introduce new items in whichever language it is needed

BothPeopleFunctionsCategor-izationPart-Whole

Language of intervention is often not apparent SLP may use child’s knowledge of shared and

unshared phonemes SLPs might treat shared phonemes initially and

monitor and transfer that takes place SLPs might treat unshared phonemes initially and

monitor the effect on the other phonemes in inventory

SLPs may choose intervention targets based on type and rates of errors found in the two languages

NEITHER CROSS-LINGUISTIC EFFECTS NOR DIALECT FEATURES ARE APPROPRIATE INTERVENTION TARGETS

Case Study

34 month old Vietnamese male named “Frank”

Referred to SoonerStart at age 27 months Parents self-employed at nail salon No significant health/learning difficulties

reported in family history

Full term vaginal birth with weight of 6 lbs and length of 20 inches

Hernia repair early at age 6 months Upper respiratory allergies Continuous rash on arms and hands No other medical history known or reported

- No interest in communication- Low muscle tone- First walked at 26.5 months- Does not hold bottle/self-feed- Picky eater/poor appetite- Minimal eye contact

Battelle Developmental Inventories – II Birth to Three - Language SoonerStart vision screen SoonerStart hearing screen Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-

CHAT)

Adaptive

Personal-Social

Communication

Motor

Cognitive

Self Care -3.00

Personal Responsibility -2.00

Total -2.40

Adult Interaction -2.33

Peer Interaction -3.00

Self-Concept and Social Role

-2.67

Total -2.40

Receptive -3.00

Expressive -3.00

Total -3.00

Gross Motor -1.67

Fine Motor -2.00

Perceptual Motor -2.33

Total -2.00

Attention and Memory -2.67

Reasoning and Academic -1.67

Perception and Concepts -2.00

Total -2.27

TargetArea

AgeEquivalent

PercentDelay

ReceptiveLanguage 7.5 months 71%

Expressive Language 9.0 months 68%

Frank passed SoonerStart vision screening at time of evaluation

Family reports no concerns with Frank’s vision

Hea

ring

Res

ults

June

6,

2009

Child fails M-CHAT when 2 or more critical items or any 3 items are failed

Frank is indicated to be at risk for Autism as he failed 12/23 items on checklist

Family does not speak the same language as the service providers

Why could this be a problem? What is one possible solution to this problem?

Family is unwilling to follow up on recommended follow-up screenings (e.g., hearing, autism, and weight) due to belief that issues will resolve themselves

Why could this be a problem? What is one possible solution to this problem?

Family does not utilize intervention strategies in their daily routines with child and do not practice intervention targets

Why could this be a problem? What is one possible solution to this

problem?

Child is allowed to hit mother and service providers, pull hair, throw toys, and to exhibit other inappropriate behaviors and is encouraged to do so by parents’ laughing when behaviors are performed

Why could this be a problem? What is one possible solution to this problem?

Assessment/Intervention materials that are provided to families who access school services are not available in family’s language

Why could this be a problem? What is one possible solution to this problem?

What’s next for this child?

Based on the information provided in this talk, what barriers do you think this child/family will encounter as they access intervention services in the public schools?

If you have questions that were not answered during today’s talk or would like additional information please contact me at:

Derick D. Deweber, M.S., CCC-SLP Derick.Deweber@gmail.com 405-601-7080 (Office) 405-305-8762 (Cell) http://www.derickdeweber.com