{"title":"Meaning-Making and Co-Creation: Re-Defining Effective Communication with Black, Disabled AAE-Speaking Children.","authors":"Chelsea Privette","doi":"10.1055/a-2634-9990","DOIUrl":"10.1055/a-2634-9990","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study applies a Black disability political approach to directly confront the shortcomings of the social model in affirming the communication of Black, disabled African American English (AAE)-speaking preschoolers. In a departure from clinical approaches to effective communication, this study assumes communication breakdowns as a central feature of interaction and explores strategies of repair and negotiation for redefining what makes communication effective.This study presents two case studies of Black, disabled AAE-speaking 4-year-olds. Their play samples are qualitatively analyzed to determine how they use strategies of repair and negotiation to achieve communicative goals and establish connections with their communication partners.The Black, disabled AAE-speaking 4-year-olds in this study used a variety of repair and negotiation strategies, including requesting a repair, responding to other-initiated repair requests, self-repair, co-constructing meaning, and seeking assistance. Their use of these strategies does not always fit into clinical frames of defining effective communication. Yet, the children demonstrate an awareness of and engagement with shared goals surrounding interaction and connection.Centering the languaging practices of multiply-marginalized disabled children is an opportunity for expanding our clinical approaches and our own communication practices to affirm the agency of the children with whom we make meaning.</p>","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":" ","pages":"162-181"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13508565/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144638421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding How Dialect Differences Shape How AAE-Speaking Children Process Sentences in Real-Time.","authors":"Arynn S Byrd, Yi Ting Huang, Jan Edwards","doi":"10.1055/a-2626-3292","DOIUrl":"10.1055/a-2626-3292","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dialect differences between African American English (AAE) and Mainstream American English (MAE) impact how children comprehend sentences. However, research on real-time sentence processing has the potential to reveal the underlying causes of these differences. This study used eye tracking, which measures how children interpret linguistic features as a sentence unfolds, and examined how AAE- and MAE-speaking children processed \"was\" and \"were,\" a morphology feature produced differently in MAE and AAE. Fifty-nine participants, ages 7;8 to 11;0 years, completed standardized measures of dialect density and receptive vocabulary. In the eye tracking task, participants heard sentences in MAE with either unambiguous (e.g., \"Jeremiah\") or ambiguous (e.g., \"Carolyn May\"), subjects and eye movements were measured to singular (image of one person) or plural referents (image of two people). After the onset of the auxiliary verb, AAE-speaking children were sensitive to \"was\" and \"were\" when processing sentences but were less likely than MAE-speaking children to use \"was\" as a basis for updating initial predictions of plural referents. Among African American children, dialect density was predictive of sensitivity to \"was\" when processing sentences. Results suggest that linguistic mismatch impacts how contrastive verb morphology is used to update initial interpretations of MAE sentences.</p>","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":" ","pages":"246-265"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144555468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Terminology in Child African American Language Matters: Verbal /s/ and Code Shifting.","authors":"Lisa Green, Brandi L Newkirk-Turner","doi":"10.1055/a-2709-6680","DOIUrl":"10.1055/a-2709-6680","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this clinical seminar is to clarify terminology and promote accurate understanding of linguistic concepts and use of related terminology among speech-language pathologists, linguists, educators, researchers, and interdisciplinary teams. In this paper, we clarify two phenomena, verbal /s/ and code shifting that have been used in both child and adult African American Language (AAL) literature, and explain the implications that clarifications have for more careful descriptions of child AAL. In addition, we highlight aspectual forms and variable use of constructions in caregiver speech as a means of exemplifying patterns of variation in children's input that should be taken into consideration in their development of AAL. The paper concludes with implications and recommendations for assessment and future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":" ","pages":"266-282"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145551714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicole B M Bazzocchi, Leslie E Kokotek, Kathryn Crowe, Karla N Washington
{"title":"Beyond Test Scores: Using Drawings and Language Samples to Characterize Multilingual Children's Language Profiles.","authors":"Nicole B M Bazzocchi, Leslie E Kokotek, Kathryn Crowe, Karla N Washington","doi":"10.1055/s-0044-1801814","DOIUrl":"10.1055/s-0044-1801814","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child highlight the importance of children being involved in matters that concern them. Examining children's drawings can support speech-language pathologists' understanding of children's unique communication experiences, especially when considered alongside a language sample analysis (LSA). This study investigated drawings as a tool for use with multilingual children. The participants were 19 children aged 3 to 5 years who used Jamaican Creole and Jamaican English with either typical development (TD, <i>n</i> = 10) or developmental language disorder (DLD, <i>n</i> = 9). Children drew themselves talking, completed the Speech Activity and Participation Assessment of Children (SPAA-C), and provided language samples in both language contexts. Drawings were examined for themes and focal points, the SPAA-C was coded for emotion types, and language samples were analyzed using LSA measures (e.g., mean length of utterance, Index of Productive Syntax). The TD group represented themes more often within their drawings compared to the DLD group. Responses on the SPAA-C were generally positive for both groups. The TD group achieved higher scores across almost all LSA measures compared to the DLD group. The findings suggest that drawings, in concert with LSAs, may be a useful tool in understanding multilingual children's unique communication experiences.</p>","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":" ","pages":"87-106"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13354063/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143587737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Creole Languages and American Englishes: Multilingualism and Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology.","authors":"Karla N Washington","doi":"10.1055/s-0044-1801362","DOIUrl":"10.1055/s-0044-1801362","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Multilingualism is the norm, not the exception, with most children speaking more than one language daily. These factors have motivated an increased need to better understand language use in the growing population of children whose cultural and linguistic background evidence language variation by way of Creole languages and dialects of American Englishes. Within speech-language pathology in the United States, however, a cultural and linguistic mismatch exists with only 8% of speech-language pathologists self-identifying as multilingual service providers. A variety of publications have documented speech-language development and disorders in speakers of majority language pairings (such as Spanish-English) to address this mismatch and the potential for misdiagnosis of speech-language function. However, there is a shortage of information on speakers of minority language pairings (such as a Creole language and its lexifier) for supporting culturally responsive practices in speech-language pathology. This clinical seminar considers multilingualism for speech-language pathology with the goal of offering a historical context. In so doing, this clinical seminar aims to address the need for distinguishing between dialect and disorder, and offer practical considerations that reduce the risk of misdiagnosis in children who speak minority languages such as Creoles (e.g., Gullah/Geechee, Jamaican Creole) and dialects of American Englishes (e.g., African American English), as examples in the context of the United States.</p>","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":" ","pages":"75-86"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143256975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multilingualism and the Child African Diaspora.","authors":"Karla N Washington","doi":"10.1055/s-0045-1806852","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0045-1806852","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":"46 2","pages":"71-74"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144512597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using Translanguaging as an Intervention for Caribbean Creole Children.","authors":"Jessica Jocelyn, Sulare Telford Rose","doi":"10.1055/s-0045-1808098","DOIUrl":"10.1055/s-0045-1808098","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This tutorial aimed to bridge the gap in the literature by presenting historical and contextual backgrounds on Caribbean Creoles and their speakers while examining the potential benefits and practical implications of incorporating translanguaging into speech-language intervention for children from Caribbean Creole-speaking backgrounds. Utilizing the principles of translanguaging, this tutorial introduces the Translanguaging Speech-Language Intervention Framework (TSI Framework) for clinical speech-language-hearing intervention. The TSI is proposed as a useful tool for working with Caribbean Creole children, though it is applicable to other groups as well. Incorporating TSI into intervention with Caribbean Creole speakers allows for bilingual children to develop and grow their unitary complex language system, equips service providers with a tool to provide culturally responsive service, fosters a strength-based approach for bilingual intervention and assessment, supports families and encourages home language maintenance, and promotes and advocates for linguistic justice.</p>","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":" ","pages":"117-144"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144042634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"PERCEIVING, PROCESSING, AND PRODUCING AFRICAN AMERICAN ENGLISH.","authors":"Megan-Brette Hamilton","doi":"10.1055/s-0045-1807755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0045-1807755","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":"46 2","pages":"67-70"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144512598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Discussion of the Clinical, Educational, and Social Impacts of Culturally Incongruent Speech-Language Professionals Who Serve African American English Speakers across Generations.","authors":"Erica V Roberson-Middleton","doi":"10.1055/s-0045-1807744","DOIUrl":"10.1055/s-0045-1807744","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>It is no secret that the overwhelming majority (91%) of certified speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify as White, while Black SLPs make up less than 4% of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) member and affiliate profile (ASHA, 2022). On the other hand, Black students are disproportionately represented in special education programs (17%; NCES, 2024) and the majority (64%) qualify for services with speech-language (or related) diagnoses as of the 2022-2023 school year (NCES, 2024). These statistics suggest that Black students will likely encounter clinicians whose racial, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds differ from their own. Undoubtedly, the data have sparked conversations in the literature regarding the importance of cultural competence, cultural humility, and cultural sensitivity among therapists who serve racially and ethnically diverse clients. For instance, the discussion of SLPs' roles in addressing educational disparities for under-represented populations requires a level of self-awareness and cultural sensitivity that not every practitioner claims to possess. Further discussion regarding the pursuit of cultural competence is needed to contribute to a deeper understanding of clinical outcomes associated with cultural incongruence in SLPs.</p>","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":" ","pages":"145-158"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144003942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Bilingual Gullah Geechee: Diversity in African American Language.","authors":"Jessica R Berry","doi":"10.1055/s-0045-1809533","DOIUrl":"10.1055/s-0045-1809533","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article explores the linguistic and cultural significance of Gullah Geechee, an English-based Creole language, and its speakers as bilingual users. It examines the historical roots, linguistic features, and sociocultural importance of Gullah Geechee, which emerged from the interaction of African languages and English during the transatlantic slave trade. The study highlights Gullah Geechee's role as a linguistic variety used by African Americans, focusing on its phonological, syntactical, and lexical traits while challenging the marginalization of both Gullah Geechee and African American English as \"broken\" English. This article also looks at generational shifts in language use and identity among Gullah Geechee speakers, from historical stigmatization to a modern revival of cultural pride. It advocates for recognizing Gullah Geechee and African American English as legitimate languages, promoting culturally responsive teaching and bidialectal education. Emphasizing the need for systemic change, this article calls for the validation of heritage languages to support linguistic justice, academic success, and cultural preservation. Through its exploration of language structures, educational frameworks, and social attitudes, this work contributes to discussions on bilingualism and the preservation of marginalized dialects in American society.</p>","PeriodicalId":48772,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in Speech and Language","volume":"46 2","pages":"107-116"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144512599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}