Bilingual Children: Cross-sectional Relations of Psychiatric Syndrome Severity and Dual Language Proficiency (original) (raw)
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Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 2006
The aim was to study the language profiles of a well-characterised sample (n ΒΌ 50) of Spanish-English bilingual children consecutively referred to psychiatric services. Methods: Spanish and English language profiles were assessed with the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery-Revised (WLPB). Profiles included language ability levels, deficits and dominance in five expressive and receptive/expressive domains, and academic (school-related) language proficiency levels. Results: General language ability was low for 69% in either language and for 51% in both. Language dominance data suggested that expressive skills were dominant in English. In 73% of the children, ability to function at school in the strongest language is 'limited', defined by the WLPB as incorrect responses to 50% of the items typically answered correctly by children of the same age. Classroom language demands, also according to the WLPB, would be 'extremely difficult' to 'impossible' for 40% of the children in at least one language, and for 19% in either language. Conclusions: Language deficits, present in many psychiatrically-referred bilingual children, ought to be suspected by the clinician. The typical language demands of schooling appear to be overwhelming for many of these children, with ensuing implications for psychosocial adaptation and educational attainment. Thorough language ability assessments of both languages are often necessary for the early detection of language deficits and for understanding how dual language abilities relate to psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, language assessment services need to be closely linked to programs serving psychiatrically-referred bilingual children. Other implications of this research for clinical practice are discussed.
The diagnosis of language disorders in bilingual children: Pragmatic and surface-oriented criteria
Certain pragmatic criteria were compared with traditionally employed surface-oriented criteria for the diagnosis of language disorders in bilingual children. Subjects were 10 Spanish/English bilingual children between 6 and 8 years of age who had been referred by bilingual classroom teachers for a special education evaluation. Spontaneous language samples were obtained from each child in both languages. The samples were transcribed and then examined for normalcy according to suri~ace-oriented criteria and pragmatic criteria. The surface elements examined in both languages included morphological and syntactic structures. The pragmatic criteria included nonfluencies, revisions, delays, specifici~ of referential terms, abrupt topic shifts, inappropriate responses, and the need for multiple repetition of prompts. As expected, it was possible to demonstrate that the two sets of criteria identified different subgroups as language disordered. To test the accuracy of the disparate diagnoses, academic achievement was tested both before and after an average of 7 months of mainstreaming in essentially monolingual English classroom settings. Teacher ratings of English language development and socialization were also examined before and after the 7-month period. Results revealed that the pragmatic criteria were superior predictors of both achievement and teacher ratings. Traditional diagnostic criteria appear to need supplementation by pragmatic criteria.
The Diagnosis of Language Disorders in Bilingual Children
Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 1983
Certain pragmatic criteria were compared with traditionally employed surface-oriented criteria for the diagnosis of language disorders in bilingual children. Subjects were 10 Spanish/English bilingual children between 6 and 8 years of age who had been referred by bilingual classroom teachers for a special education evaluation. Spontaneous language samples were obtained from each child in both languages. The samples were transcribed and then examined for normalcy according to suri~ace-oriented criteria and pragmatic criteria. The surface elements examined in both languages included morphological and syntactic structures. The pragmatic criteria included nonfluencies, revisions, delays, specifici~ of referential terms, abrupt topic shifts, inappropriate responses, and the need for multiple repetition of prompts. As expected, it was possible to demonstrate that the two sets of criteria identified different subgroups as language disordered. To test the accuracy of the disparate diagnoses, academic achievement was tested both before and after an average of 7 months of mainstreaming in essentially monolingual English classroom settings. Teacher ratings of English language development and socialization were also examined before and after the 7-month period. Results revealed that the pragmatic criteria were superior predictors of both achievement and teacher ratings. Traditional diagnostic criteria appear to need supplementation by pragmatic criteria. O 1983, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 385 0022-4677/83/4804-0385501.00/0 Downloaded From: http://journals.pubs.asha.org/ by University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Jack Damico on 03/09/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/Rights\_and\_Permissions.aspx 386 Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders 48 385-394 November 1983 Downloaded From: http://journals.pubs.asha.org/ by University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Jack Damico on 03/09/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/Rights\_and\_Permissions.aspx REFERENCE NOTES Downloaded From: http://journals.pubs.asha.org/ by University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Jack Damico on 03/09/2015 Terms of Use: http://pubs.asha.org/ss/Rights\_and\_Permissions.aspx The Hague: Mouton, 1953.
Applied Psycholinguistics, 2010
In her Keynote Article, Paradis reviews evidence from bilingual language development to assess the claims of two opposing theoretical views of language disorders. Specifically, she examines the evidence for similarities in language profiles of typically developing (TD) sequential bilingual (second language [L2]) children and monolingual children with specific language impairment (SLI) with respect to Rice's extended optional infinitive (EOI) account. A limited processing capacity (LPC) account of SLI, Leonard's surface hypothesis, is evaluated within the context of comparisons among bilingual children with SLI, monolingual children with SLI, and TD bilingual children. Paradis concludes that the evidence from bilingual children poses challenges for both accounts of SLI.
Clinical Intervention for Bilingual Children: An International Survey
Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 2008
This paper reports on the results of an international survey undertaken by the Multilingual Affairs Committee of the IALP, to investigate the intervention provided to bilingual children. Information pertaining to 157 children was obtained from 99 speech-language therapists in 13 countries. The survey addressed biographical details and language background of the children, the diagnosed communication disorder, language competence of the therapists, issues pertaining to the language of intervention, use of interpreters, advice given to parents regarding the use of each language, and possible results of intervention. The findings are specific to each country and related to the sociolinguistic context. Very few therapists provide bilingual intervention, although many have strategies for ensuring the development of both languages, such as advising parents to speak only the home language. Therapists were generally unable to provide quantifiable intervention results due to a paucity of asse...