Bilingual Language Development and Disorders in Spanish-English Speakers (2nd Edition) by Brian Goldstein
In his recently updated edition of this book, Dr. Goldstein expands on several topics we already know and implement regularly as bilingual SLPs.
As language experiences are discussed in Chapter 2, some time is spent focusing on “Factors that Influence Bilingual Children’s Language Acquisition”. The reason this is important is because each one of these factors can affect the outcome of the assessment. With this added layer of bilingualism, it is even more important to know the culture which your student and their family come from, parenting and discipline values, learning styles, and any other unique cultural aspects.
This begins prior to the family interview phase of your assessment. It begins as soon as you start establishing rapport with the family. You will learn valuable information in that very first interaction that will give insight into what you need to investigate about their culture prior to the parent interview.
These factors include:
- Acculturation
- Maternal Education and Socioeconomic Status
- Length of Time in the United States
- Age of Exposure to English
- Home Language Experiences
Of the five factors listed above, which one have you forgotten to consider in your assessments? Have you qualified students for therapy only to find them ready to be dismissed within the first year?
Is it possible one of these factors could have been taken more into account during that assessment? (I’m sure it’s actually a result of your excellent therapy skills!).
As you prepare for your upcoming assessment, take that extra bit of time in the early phases of the assessment to gain as much knowledge about the family and the student’s background as you can so that your overall picture at the end of the assessment is as clear as possible. Helping make your decision-making process as easy as possible!
Author: Megan Kimmel, M.S. Bilingual CCC-SLP
