Grammatical correction and morphological productivity tasks as potential identifiers of developmental language disorder in Spanish-Catalan bilingual children: a pilot study.

A critical problem for Catalan-Spanish bilinguals is the lack of assessment tools to conduct valid and accurate oral language evaluations. The purpose of this preliminary study was to provide pilot data for a new potential assessment tool in Catalan. We examined the possibility that two novel tasks, a grammatical correction (GramCorr) and morphological productivity (MP; nonword and word subtasks), could differentiate between Catalan-speaking children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD) with good diagnostic accuracy.

Differences in Child Language Assessment Practices Between School-Based and Non-School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists: Results From a Nationwide Survey.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare child language assessment practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in school and nonschool settings to determine if their place of employment impacts the diagnostic decision-making process.

Method: School-based SLPs (e.g.

Spanish Bilingual Morphosyntactic Development in Bilingual Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder: Articles, Clitics, Verbs, and the Subjunctive Mood.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the growth of previously established clinical markers of developmental language disorder (DLD) in Spanish-speaking bilingual children with and without DLD.

Method: Forty-three bilingual children with DLD and 57 typically developing children were tested 3 times over a 2-year period. Their average age at Time 1 was 5;10 (years;months).

Recast Therapy for Treating Syntax in Bilingual Children With Developmental Language Disorder: A Feasibility and Early Efficacy Study Examining the Role of Language of Intervention on Outcomes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of the delivery of complex syntax recast therapy via telepractice to Spanish-English bilingual children and provide preliminary evidence of the efficacy of this approach.

Method: Fifteen bilingual children with developmental language disorders were stratified based on language proficiency and randomized to one of three treatment conditions: Spanish only ( = 5), English only ( = 6), or Spanish + English ( = 4). Using a within-subject design, we hypothesized that we could document treatment efficacy based on change in the treated structure in the absence of change in an untreated comparison structure.

Longitudinal Examination of Morphosyntactic Skills in Bilingual Children: Spanish and English Standardized Scores.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine changes in English and Spanish morphosyntactic standardized scores over time in bilingual children.

Method: One hundred bilingual children participated in this longitudinal study. The average age of the children at the beginning of the study was 5;11 (years;months).

Code-Switching During Narratives by Bilingual Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder.

Purpose: This study examined the frequency, direction, and structural characteristics of code-switching (CS) during narratives by Spanish-English bilingual children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD) to determine whether children with DLD exhibit unique features in their CS that may inform clinical decision-making.

Method: Spanish-English bilingual children, aged 4;0-6;11 (years;months), with DLD ( = 33) and with typical language development (TLD; = 33) participated in narrative retell and story generation tasks in Spanish and English. Instances of CS were classified as between utterance or within utterance; within-utterance CS was coded for type of grammatical structure.

Characterization of English and Spanish language proficiency among middle school English learners with reading difficulties.

Among bilinguals, language-related variables such as first and second language proficiency and balance may be related to important cognitive and academic outcomes, but approaches to characterizing these variables are inconsistent, particularly among at-risk samples of children. The current study employed comprehensive language assessment of English and Spanish language skills and contrasted various approaches to the characterization of language among at-risk ELs in middle school ( = 161). Specifically, we contrasted variable-centered and person-centered approaches, and convergence between objective and self-report measures.

Parental Beliefs, Language Practices and Language Outcomes in Spanish-English Bilingual Children.

As the U.S. population who speaks a language other than English at home continues to grow, few studies have focused on the effect of parental beliefs on the importance of bilingualism have on language outcomes of their children.

Can Bilingual Children Self-Report Their Bilingual Experience and Proficiency? The Houston Questionnaire.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a child self-report questionnaire measuring bilingual experience and self-perceptions of Spanish and English proficiency and establish preliminary evidence of validity and reliability for the questionnaire.

Method: Participants included 113 Spanish-English bilingual children with and without developmental language disorders ranging in age from 4 to 8 years. All children completed the questionnaire in Spanish and participated in behavioral assessment of their language skills in both Spanish and English.

Is Bilingual Receptive Vocabulary Assessment via Telepractice Comparable to Face-to-Face?

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of delivery method (face-to-face or telepractice), time, home language, and language ability on bilingual children's receptive vocabulary scores in Spanish and English.

Method: Participants included bilingual children with ( = 32) and without ( = 57) developmental language disorders (DLD) that were assessed at 2 time points about 1 year apart. All children participated in face-to-face assessment at Time 1.

The Complex Role of Utterance Length on Grammaticality: Multivariate Multilevel Analysis of English and Spanish Utterances of First-Grade English Learners.

Purpose: This study examined the relationship between utterance length, syntactic complexity, and the probability of making an error at the utterance level.

Method: The participants in this study included 830 Spanish-speaking first graders who were learning English at school. Story retells in both Spanish and English were collected from all children.

Elicited vs. Spontaneous Language as Methods for the Assessment of Grammatical Development: The DEME Assessment Tool.

Introduction And Objectives: This study compares data collection approaches in the assessment of grammatical development in Spanish-speaking children. Specifically, we compared error rates produced in data collected using samples from spontaneous language versus elicited production, using both broad (overall) and narrow measures (errors with noun phrases).

Methods And Participants: Monolingual-Spanish-speaking five-year-olds (=55) were divided into typical language development (TL) and at-risk (Risk) according to a preexisting test, .

Predictors of Item Accuracy on the for Spanish-English Speaking Children in the United States.

This study examines the response patterns of 288 Spanish-English dual language learners on a standardized test of receptive Spanish vocabulary. Investigators analyzed responses to 54 items on the (TVIP) (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) focusing on differential accuracy on items influenced by a) cross-linguistic overlap, b) context (home/school), and c) word frequency in Spanish. The response patterns showed cross-linguistic overlap in phonology was a significant predictor of accuracy at the item level.

Morphological Errors in Spanish-Speaking Bilingual Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorders.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to find morphological markers with good diagnostic accuracy to identify developmental language disorders (DLD) in Spanish-English bilingual children. Method The participants in this study included 66 Spanish-English bilingual children between the ages of 4;0 and 6;11 (years;months) with ( = 33) and without DLD ( = 33). We employed a comprehensive production task in Spanish to elicit morphological structures that have been previously found to be problematic for Spanish-speaking children with DLD.

Vulnerability of Clitics and Articles to Bilingual Effects in Typically Developing Spanish-English Bilingual Children.

This study examines bilingual effects in Spanish-English bilingual children with good maintenance of the minority language. The present study compares the performance of a group of Spanish-monolingual children (MON; =30) with two groups of Spanish-speaking bilingual children (Low English proficiency group: LEP; =36; High English proficiency group, HEP; =36) on the elicited productions of Spanish articles and object clitics. Our results suggest that children with LEP performed significantly lower than MON children of the same age on both articles and clitics in Spanish.

Beyond Scores: Using Converging Evidence to Determine Speech and Language Services Eligibility for Dual Language Learners.

Purpose Speech-language pathologists have both a professional and ethical responsibility to provide culturally competent services to dual language learners (DLLs). In this tutorial, we recommend that clinicians use a comprehensive assessment of converging evidence to make diagnostic decisions in DLLs in accordance with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Code of Ethics. The content of this tutorial is most appropriate for Spanish-English DLLs between the ages of 4 and 8 years.

Morphological Errors in Monolingual Spanish-Speaking Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorders.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify which morphological markers have the best diagnostic accuracy to identify developmental language disorders (DLD) in monolingual Spanish-speaking children. Method The participants in this study included 50 Spanish-speaking monolingual children with ( = 25) and without ( = 25) DLD. Data collection took place in Mexico.

What Does Evidence-Based Practice Mean to You? A Follow-Up Study Examining School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Perspectives on Evidence-Based Practice.

Purpose The current investigation is a follow-up from a previous study examining child language diagnostic decision making in school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). The purpose of this study was to examine the SLPs' perspectives regarding the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) in their clinical work. Method Semistructured phone interviews were conducted with 25 school-based SLPs who previously participated in an earlier study by Fulcher-Rood et al.

The Impact of the Spanish-to-English Proficiency Shift on the Grammaticality of English Learners.

Purpose The general aim of this study is to enhance our understanding of the patterns of language growth in Spanish and English during the school years. In this study, we used a longitudinal retrospective approach to explore the growth of the percentage of grammatical utterances (PGU) in both Spanish and English in 2 groups of English learners (ELs): ELs attending English-only instruction and ELs attending Spanish-English bilingual instruction. Method The participants included 1,080 ELs.

Diagnostic Decisions in Child Language Assessment: Findings From a Case Review Assessment Task.

Purpose The current study used a case review diagnostic assessment task to examine the diagnostic decisions speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in the United States made after reviewing child language cases. Method Fourteen SLPs were given 5 case studies that presented either congruent or incongruent results between standardized testing and informal measures. After reviewing the assessment data, SLPs were asked to make a diagnostic decision.

Neuroemergentism: A Framework for Studying Cognition and the Brain.

There has been virtual explosion of studies published in cognitive neuroscience primarily due to increased accessibility to neuroimaging methods, which has led to different approaches in interpretation. This review seeks to synthesize both developmental approaches and more recent views that consider neuroimaging. The ways in which Neuronal Recycling, Neural Reuse, and Language as Shaped by the Brain perspectives seek to clarify the brain bases of cognition will be addressed.

School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Perspectives on Diagnostic Decision Making.

Purpose: This study used a structured open interview approach to elicit information from school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regarding their assessment practices for children with suspected language impairment.

Method: Phone interviews were conducted with 39 school-based SLPs who were employed across the United States. The interviews explored assessment topics related to assessment tool selection and rationale and the integration of assessment data to determine treatment eligibility.