The Assessment and Management of Children From a Non-English Speaking Background Who Have Language Problems

Abstract

Speech pathologists assessing the language skills of children from a cultural and linguistic background that is different to their own are confronted with issues additional to those they face when assessing children from the same background. The crucial area of management is that of assessment and diagnosis, as the language characteristics of children learning English as a second language are similar to those of children with a language difficulty, making it difficult to differentiate between the two. In this paper, the similarities are described, along with some of the reasons for them. Issues relating to assessment, diagnosis and to a lesser extent, therapy, are discussed.