ERIC Number: EJ972189
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jan
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: N/A
Dynamic Assessment of Word Learning Skills: Identifying Language Impairment in Bilingual Children
Kapantzoglou, Maria; Restrepo, M. Adelaida; Thompson, Marilyn S.
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v43 n1 p81-96 Jan 2012
Purpose: Bilingual children are often diagnosed with language impairment, although they may simply have fewer opportunities to learn English than English-speaking monolingual children. This study examined whether dynamic assessment (DA) of word learning skills is an effective method for identifying bilingual children with primary language impairment (PLI). Method: Fifteen 4- and 5-year-old predominantly Spanish-speaking children with typical language development (TLD) and 13 with PLI each participated in a 30- to 40-min session of DA of word learning skills following a pretest-teach-posttest design. Results: Results indicated that TLD children made associations between the phonological and semantic representations of the new words faster than children with PLI did, showing greater modifiability. Further, a combination of word learning in the receptive modality and the Learning Strategies Checklist (Lidz, 1991; Pena, 1993) provided the best accuracy in identifying PLI in these children. Conclusion: Findings suggest that a brief DA is a promising method for accurately differentiating children with TLD from children with PLI.
Descriptors: Speech Communication, Semantics, Language Impairments, Learning Strategies, Monolingualism, Spanish Speaking, Language Acquisition, Bilingualism, English Language Learners, Preschool Children, Speech Language Pathology, Comparative Analysis, Pretests Posttests, Vocabulary Development, Check Lists, Identification
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Tel: 800-638-8255; Fax: 301-571-0457; e-mail: subscribe@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.asha.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A