New section for forum

[judyra]

Thanks for this new area on the forum. I anticipate that it will get lots of questions and comments. Getting used to the new look of the SLP forum will take some of us a little while to get used to.

[kathyslp1]

I have a question for all you experienced SLP's out there. I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable qualifying second language learners as language impaired. I know there ARE bilingual students who are truly language impaired but how is the best way to determine if it is a language difference, a language learning process, or a language disorder? Florida, California and Texas--what do you do?

[GreeneSLP]

Kathy,

Here's what I do- if a student is bilingual I first determine what their PRIMARY language is- what do they speak at home? Which one did they learn first?

By definition, the student must show a disorder in their primary language to have a language disorder. If they only show below average skills in their second language, it is outside our scope of practice and is a matter better served by the bilingual teacher.

If the student shows some difficulty communicating in their first language then there might be a disorder there and that student needs to be assessed in their FIRST language. Again, there must be a difficulty with both languages in order for a disorder to be present.

I haven't run into this much in my district, but in the cases I have had so far a talk with mom and dad made it quite clear that it was simply a matter of the student needing bilingual services, not speech therapy.

[slpbiddle]

I'm in IN. All kids entering school here are supposed to have a language survey completed on what languages are spoken by members in the home. If any other language is spoken besides English, then our counselor gives an ESL test to see where their English skills lie. I'm not familiar with this test. If they don't do well on this test, then the student is required by law to have 1 full year of ESL classes BEFORE he can be referred for special education services, including speech therapy. Then, once that criteria has been met, I would have to test in the native language. The SLPs in my area have been told that technically only certified bilingual SLPs are able to administer these tests. From what my supervisor has said, she doesn't know of anyone in our area who meets that qualification. So we just have to do the best we can.

[Debby]

Fortunately in our district in Florida we do have well qualified bilingual SLPs. They give a battery of assessments after an assessment has been attempted in English. Unfortunately, the bilingual SLPs do not particularly like the assessments they have because in many instances, the tests are no more than translations of the assesment in English. Many times, their clinical judgment comes into play. There is such a need for a true assessment of bilingual children.

[Paddlingslp]

Hi. I am a bilingual SLP in California (high school level) and I know it is a problem. There are ESL tests that students are supposed to take that designate them as limited to fully English proficient. The problem I find is that these tests are NOT accurate. I often find "FEP" students who cannot appropriately participate in social conversation because they don't know the language. How are they supposed to comprehend academic language?
Bilingual students in our district qualify when they have a significant difficulty in their PRIMARY language. This is determined via standardized tests and a lot of informal testing/observation. If they do not show a significant difference between achievement and ability in their primary language, then they do not qualify.
These students are referred, usually, by their teachers. The teachers 'feel' that there is something going on besides a second language difficulty that is hindering their academic success.

[shellygramza]

I have a follow up question on this issue. What if the SLP cannot test in the native language? Parents are not always the best reporters, any more than parents of English speakers.