School-based speech-language pathologists’ assessment and intervention practice patterns for students who speak African American English

Abstract

Children who speak African American English (AAE) are often misrepresented on speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs’) caseloads. While a speech or language disorder can manifest within dialect use, there is a need to increase the diagnostic accuracy of speech and language disorders among children who speak AAE. SLPs must have the knowledge and skills necessary to modify their assessment and intervention strategies when providing services to children who speak AAE, especially in school settings where intervention aims to enhance academic success and social participation. Therefore, there is a need to better understand the clinical practice patterns of SLPs who work with students who speak AAE in school settings. The purpose of this study was to build upon the limited body of research on this topic by exploring assessment and intervention strategies school-based SLPs use when providing services to students who speak AAE. Results from this investigation revealed that school-based SLPs report modifying their assessment practices more frequently than their intervention strategies for dialect users. Additionally, SLPs’ knowledge of AAE was not strongly correlated with frequency of clinical practice modification for students who speak AAE. Most participants reported that they had never received post-professional training on AAE. These findings highlight the need for additional research exploring the feasibility and efficacy of assessment and intervention modifications for students who speak AAE as well as an exploration of barriers and facilitators SLPs encounter when attempting to provide culturally informed services to students who speak AAE so these topics can be addressed through continuing education.