What Test Should I Use?

ABSTRACT

Appropriate assessment of Hispanic children requires clinicians to have knowledge of the cultural and linguistic factors that influence the communication skills of these children. This knowledge base includes an understanding of variations in the social and linguistic characteristics of Hispanic subgroups. Knowledge of these characteristics provides clinicians with the framework necessary to conduct less biased assessments. Clinicians possessing this framework would be able to conduct assessments that take into consideration the child's social ecology and the impact of dialect, first and second language acquisition, and language loss on the child's communication skills.

KEYWORD

Speech and language assessment - Hispanic

REFERENCES

• 1 Public Health Service. National Center for Health Statistics: Vital Statistics of the United States1988; Vol1. Natality (DHHS Publication PHS 90- 1100) Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1990
• 2 U.S. Bureau of the Census. Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, DC; 1993
• 3 Center for the Study of Social Policy. Kids Count Data Book: State Profiles of Child Well-Being.  Greenwich, CT: Annie E. Casey Foundation; 1994
• 4 Arcia E, Keyes L, Galalgher J J, Chabhar M. Status of Young Mexican-American and Puerto Rican Children: Implications for Early Intervention.  Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Institute for Child Family and Policy; 1993
• 5 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Youth Indicators 1996. Trends in the Well-Being of American Youth. Washington, DC; 1996
• 6 Veltman C J. Modeling the language shift process of Hispanic immigrants.  Int Migr Rev . 1993;  545-562
• 7 Veltman C J. The Future of the Spanish Language in the United States. Washington, DC:Hispanic Policy Development Project; 1988
• 8 Zentella A C. Growing Up Bilingual.  Oxford: Blackwell; 1997
• 9 Bialystock E. Language Processing in Bilingual Children.  New York: Cambridge University Press; 1991
• 10 Gutierrez-Clellen V F. Language diversity: implications for assessment. In: Cole K, Dale P, Thal D, eds. Advances in Assessment of Communication and Language Baltimore, MD: Brookes 1996: 29-56
• 11 Hakuta K. Mirror of Language.  New York: Basic Books; 1986
• 12 Valdes G, Figueroa R A. Bilingualism and Testing: A Special Case of Bias.  Norwood, NJ: Ablex; 1994
• 13 Kayser H. Speech and language assessment of Spanish-English speaking children.  Lang Speech Hear Serv Schools . 1989;  20 226-241
• 14 Roseberry-McKibbin C. Assessment and intervention for children with limited English proficiency and language disorders.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol . 1994;  3 77-88
• 15 Cummins J. Bilingualism and Special Education: Issues in Assessment and Pedagogy.  San Diego: College Hill Press; 1984
• 16 Iglesias A, Goldstein B A. Variations across language and dialects. In: Bernthal J, Bankson N, eds. Articulation and Phonological Disorders Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall 1998: 148-171
• 17 Guitart J. Spanish in contact with itself and the phonological characterization of conservative and radical styles. In: Roca A, Jesen J, eds. Spanish in Contact: Issues in Bilingualism Sommerville, MA: Cascadilla 1996: 151-157
• 18 Wolfram W, Schilling-Estes N. American English: Dialects and Variations.  Oxford: Blackwell; 1998
• 19 Rollins P R, McCabe A, Bliss L. Culturally sensitive assessment of narrative skills in children.  Semin Speech Lang . 2000;  3 223-234
• 20 Bailey D, Nabors L. Tests and test development. In: McLean M, Bailey D, Wolery M, eds. Assessing Infants and Preschoolers with Special Needs Columbus,.OH: Merrill 1996: 24-45
• 21 Garcia-Coll C T. Developmental outcome of minority infants: a process oriented look into our beginnings.  Child Dev . 1990;  61 270-289
• 22 Hart B, Risley T R. Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children.  Baltimore: Paul H Brookes; 1995
• 23 Iglesias A. Programs for children with limited English proficiency: an assessment of present practices. In: Wong K, Wang M, eds. Rethinking Policy for At-Risk Students Berkeley, CA: McCutchman 1994: 123-149
• 24 Heath S B. Sociocultural context of language development. In: California State Department of Education, ed. Beyond Language: Social and Cultural Factors in Schooling Language Minority Children Los Angeles: Author 1986: 143-186
• 25 Iglesias A, Quinn R. Culture as a context for early intervention. In: Thurman K, Cornwell JR, Gottwald SR, eds. Contexts for Early Intervention: Systems and Settings Baltimore: Brookes 1997: 55-72
• 26 deGroot A MB, Kroll J F. Tutorials in Bilingualism.  Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum; 1997
• 27 Wong-Fillmore L. When learning a second language means losing the first.  Early Child Res Q . 1991;  6 232-247
• 28 Harkness S, Super C. Parent's Cultural Belief Systems.  New York: Guilford; 1996
• 29 Pérez ed. B. Sociocultural Contexts of Language and Literacy Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum; 1998
• 30 Erickson J G, Iglesias A. Assessment of communication disorders in non-English proficient children. In: Taylor O, ed. Nature of Communication Disorders in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations San Diego, CA: College-Hill 1986: 181-218
• 31 Haywood HC, Brown AL, Wingenfeld S. Dynamic approaches to psychoeducational assessment. School Psychol Rev . 1990;  19 411-422
• 32 Miller-Jones D. Culture and testing.  Am Psychol . 1989;  44 360-366
• 33 Wolf D, Bixby J, Glenn J, Gardner H. To use their minds well: investigating new forms of student assessment.  Rev Res Educ . 1991;  17 31-74
• 34 Plante E, Vance R. Selection of preschool language tests: a data-based approach.  Lang Speech Hear Schools . 1994;  25 15-24
• 35 McCauley R J, Swisher L. Psychometric review of language and articulation tests for preschool children.  J Speech Hear Disord . 1984;  49 34-42
• 36 Figueroa R A, Garcia E. Issues in testing students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.  Multicult Educ. 1994;  10-19
• 37 Mehan H, Hertweck A, Meihls J L. Handicapping the Handicapped: Decision Making in Student's Educational Careers.  Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press; 1986
• 38 Damico J S. Descriptive assessment of communicative ability in limited English proficient children. In: Hamayan EV, Damico JS, eds. Limiting Bias in the Assessment of Bilingual Students Austin, TX: Pro-Ed 1991: 157-217
• 39 Lund N, Duchan J. Assessing Children's Language in Naturalistic Contexts, 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall; 1993 . 
• 40 Lahey M. Who shall be called language disordered?.  <~>Some reflections and one perspective. J Speech Hear Disord . 1990;  55 612-620
• 41 Erickson F. Rhetoric, anecdote, and rhapsody: coherence strategies in a conversation among Black American adolescents. In: Tannen D, ed. Coherence in Spoken and Written Discourse Norwood, NJ: Ablex 1984: 81-154
• 42 Feurstein R. The Dynamic Assessment of Retarded Performers: The Learning Potential Assessment Device Theory, Instruments, and Techniques.  Baltimore, MD: University Park Press; 1979
• 43 Haywood H C, Wingenfeld S A. Interactive assessment as a research tool.  J Spec Educ . 1992;  26 253-268
• 44 Peña E, Quinn R, Iglesias A. The application of dynamic methods to language assessment: a nonbiased procedure.  J Spec Educ . 1992;  26 269-280
• 45 Guttierez-Clellan V. Dynamic assessment: an approach to assessing children's language-learning potential.  Semin Speech Lang . 2000;  21 215-222