Bilingual Children's Language Development: Assessment and Intervention

Phaiwanh is a Laotian kindergarten student.
She came to the U.S. with her refugee family at 1 year old, speaking only Laotian.
Evaluated with an oral language proficiency test, she was classified as "non-English speaking" with limited skills in both English and Laotian (dominant language: Laotian).

Limited progress in acquiring English skills by the end of year two in kindergarten.
Primarily interacted with other Laotian-speaking peers.
Parents are monolingual Laotian speakers and unable to assist with English homework.
No extra support in English or Laotian at school or home.
Frequent use of Laotian impacts English practice opportunities leading to limited language proficiency.

Given her limited exposure to English and lack of support, consideration for special education assessment for DLD should be evaluated.

Understanding processes of second language acquisition and bilingualism.
Differentiating between sequential and simultaneous bilingualism.
Identifying nonbiased assessment methods for distinguishing language differences from DLD.

The rising statistics indicate an increase in English learners (ELs) in U.S. schools.
Common languages spoken include: Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese among others.
Awareness of second language acquisition phenomena helps to distinguish normal language behaviors from underlying disorders.

Silent Period: A phase where the student primarily listens and comprehends with little output; can last from 3-6 months, especially in younger learners.
Transfer: Behaviors from the first language influence the second language, impacting syntax, morphology, and phonology. Examples include grammatical morpheme omissions (e.g., missing past tense endings).
Interlanguage: A fluid language system as the learner develops their second language, showing inconsistent errors that reflect growth in proficiency.
Fossilization: Persistent language errors that remain even with fluency; such as incorrect phrases becoming habitual despite overall proficiency.
Code Switching: Alternation between two languages within sentences or discourse, a natural communicative behavior in bilingual children.
Language Loss: When dominant language skills decline due to minimal use when a second language is introduced, particularly in students with limited initial exposure.

Simultaneous Acquisition: Learning two languages from infancy with both developing around the same time. These children generally follow typical language milestones comparable to monolingual peers.
Sequential Acquisition: First language developed followed by exposure to a second language later on. This can sometimes result in issues with proficiency in both languages if the second language is introduced too soon.

BICS: Social, context-embedded communication skills acquired in informal settings; roughly takes 2-3 years to develop.
CALP: Academic language and communication skills necessary for classroom learning, usually takes 5-7 years to reach a level comparable to native speakers.

Language skills can develop asynchronously; ELs might show varied timelines for BICS and CALP based on socioeconomic factors and individual backgrounds.

Foundational Principles: Collect comprehensive data from various sources to form a clear understanding of a student's abilities and challenges, avoiding misidentification.
Importance of understanding the environmental context of the student to accurately assess language differences versus true language disorders.
- Goal: Ensure assessments respect linguistic human rights according to IDEA 2004, using assessments appropriate to the child's language background.

Utilizing alternative assessment methods rather than relying solely on standardized tests in English.
Collect data from observations, student work samples, and narrative construction. Allow continual monitoring through responsive instruction.
Collaboration with interpreters is crucial for accurate assessments and understanding.
- Categories of interpreters include characteristics needed to ensure cultural sensitivity and professional integrity in assessment processes.

Bilingual approaches often yield better outcomes in achieving proficiency in both languages.
Maintain a holistic approach to language development incorporating literacy, speech, social interactions and the cognitive strategies needed for academic success.
Involvement of families in the intervention process enhances support for both languages in functional contexts.