?Diferencia Linguistica o Desorden Linguistico?Language difference or language disorder?
Answering that question, says speech-language pathologist Carla Wood Jackson, is essential for evaluating a bilingual child or English learner, and every year the urgency rises: “Hispanic Americans are the largest minority population with limited English proficiency in U.S. public schools. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA] recognizes the problem: too few speech-language pathologists are trained to work with culturally and linguistically diverse children.”
Amigos de los Ninos/ Partners for Children
Jackson, an assistant professor in Communication Disorders who holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, is doing something about it: MCAT, the Multicultural/Multilingual Assessment Team. In MCAT, monolingual and bilingual graduate students partner to assess children’s skills in both English and Spanish. They are reaching the target North Florida population— Children of migrant workers— through other partnerships: with the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium (PAEC) Migrant Education Program with Head Start.
“Some graduate students,” Jackson says, “are multilingual and want this experience for specialization. Students who are monolingual administer tests in English and gain valuable knowledge and skills in working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. When they go into such settings, they’ll be ready for the challenges.” Judy De La Cruz, who learned English in school but spoke Spanish at home, says, “I had many bilingual teachers in Miami, but children here do not. I can relate to their struggles. MCAT has enhanced my skills as a bilingual clinician and also taught me needs of this population that may be overlooked.”
The ultimate goal, says Jackson, is to identify disorders much earlier, before children are failing school. “Children with a different language may slip through cracks, and may not be identified as having communication disorders. Our community partnerships are letting us reach more children, and teachers are recognizing red flags earlier.”
Sembar Semillas/Planting Seeds.
As their evaluations increased, the team became aware of the acute need for SLP services. Jackson: “Children from high poverty and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are more at risk for delays in the development of language and literacy skills.” With seed funding from ASHA, Jackson and PAEC have launched clinical research. After shared reading with the children, the clinicians are comparing instructional methods to enhance bilingual vocabulary development. One group will have a home component, a “reading pack,” including an audio Spanish translation that parents will use for shared reading.
“We want this program to grow, to become long-term,” says Jackson. “The children need it, and so do our SLP students. It is a unique, valuable opportunity because it interweaves clinical research, clinical teaching, and service to address a community need.”Es muy bueno para todos los amigos.