Seminars in Speech and Language最新文献

Children who speak African American English (AAE) may have an elevated likelihood of being diagnosed with language disorders. Traditional language sample analysis (LSA) metrics, such as Developmental Sentence Scoring (DSS), are based on the morphosyntax of General American English (GAE) and may not accurately reflect the language abilities of AAE-speaking children. We examined the effectiveness of computerized Black English Sentence Scoring (BESS) in distinguishing between typically developing (TD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) in AAE- and GAE-speaking children compared with DSS.Language samples from 88 children (22 DLD, 66 TD) ages 5;0 to 7;02, comprising 44 AAE-speaking children and 44 GAE-speaking children, were analyzed using Computerized Language ANalysis (CLAN) DSS and BESS options.Results of a two-level ANOVA did not show evidence of any effect by dialect and scoring method. Logistic regression analyses revealed that both DSS and BESS exhibited poor classification accuracy, suggesting that they are statistically unreliable methods of DLD identification in children who speak either AAE or GAE.Although BESS is intended to minimize linguistic bias compared with DSS, neither approach yielded adequate diagnostic accuracy in this study. However, both can provide valuable information on grammatical features in a child's expressive language to guide intervention.

This study investigates how educators perceive African American English (AAE) and whether those perceptions affect special education referrals. Using a mixed-methods design, 41 practicing educators evaluated vignettes written in both AAE and Mainstream American English by fictional third-grade students. Although most participants expressed favorable views of AAE as a legitimate dialect, vignettes written in AAE were 6.5 times more likely to be referred for special education. This disconnect between stated beliefs and referral behavior suggests that language differences may still be misinterpreted as a disorder. Findings highlight the need for targeted professional development, culturally responsive referral safeguards, and instruction that validates dialectal diversity. The study contributes to broader discussions about equity, disproportionality in special education, and the application of raciolinguistic frameworks in educational decision-making.

The purpose of this article is to provide the readers of the forum with an overview of research on African American children's language and connection to literacy, review how literate language has been traditionally defined and conceptualized, describe areas of concern when using traditional perspectives on literate language to evaluate the language of African American English (AAE) speakers, and recommend assessment approaches and strategies that allow for a comprehensive assessment that is informed by sociocultural orientations to literacy.

This study reviews the sociocultural, linguistic, and historical foundations of standardized testing with African American children who speak African American English. Challenges associated with the use of traditional models of assessment that rely heavily on the use of standardized assessments have contributed to persisting disproportionalities in speech-language clinical and eligibility decisions. Advantages of using alternative assessment frameworks that rely less on standardized tests and more on the contextualization of the individual child, taking relevant sociocultural influences into account, are proposed.

We examined the of-preposition in language samples because it is a highly variable feature that can be marked or unmarked (e.g., "out [of] the door") depending on context. Children who speak African American English (AAE) produce unmarked of-prepositions in contexts that are universal across AAE and General American English (GAE; e.g., "out [of] the window") and in contexts specific to the AAE dialect (e.g., "out [of] the car"). Guidance in the literature on this variability is limited for language sample analysis. Participants included 113 children who spoke AAE. We examined contexts with unmarked of-prepositions in narrative language samples in a subset of 72 children (mean age = 53.57 months). Samples were coded for AAE features based on the published literature. Contexts with an unmarked of-preposition were coded as universal (present in AAE and GAE) or as a feature of AAE. We calculated an estimate of AAE feature use in two ways: one that erroneously assumed that all of-preposition variability (including universal) is AAE, and one that more precisely identified AAE features. Analyses revealed significant differences in the measurement of AAE use. Careful analysis of dialect-specific and universal features of AAE grammar, including the of-preposition, is needed for reliable assessments.

This study explores the relation between oral language, spoken dialect variation, and reading achievement among Black children from low-income backgrounds, with an emphasis on identifying within-group variability. Few studies have examined how these variables interact to influence literacy outcomes. Using data from 797 children in Grades 1 to 4 (ages: 6-11 years), we conducted a two-part analysis. First, confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the structure of language, dialect variation, and reading performance. The study found that while these skills are interconnected, they remain distinct constructs. Second, latent profile analysis was used to explore heterogeneity in language and reading skills within the sample, revealing distinct profiles of strengths and weaknesses. While children with higher dialect density of African American English were more likely to show lower literacy performance, dialect variation alone did not predict specific literacy profiles. These findings suggest that oral language proficiency and dialect variation should be considered when designing interventions to improve reading outcomes for Black children. This study contributes to the understanding of how dialect variation influences reading achievement and highlights the need for culturally responsive literacy instruction that values linguistic diversity.

There are identifiable gaps between speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) beliefs and their implementation of best practices for dual language learners (DLLs). In the present study, we examined how early intervention (EI) SLPs' backgrounds, experiences, and practice settings influenced their beliefs, knowledge, and use of best practices when assessing DLLs. A survey of 134 EI SLPs was used to examine their assessment procedures for a DLL case scenario, beliefs about assessment practices, and knowledge of cultural and linguistic influences on DLLs' language development. Participants also provided information about their backgrounds and practice settings. Statistical analyses explored relationships between these factors and variables such as years since graduation, sociolinguistic context of practice setting, and continuing education on DLL assessment knowledge and practices. Results showed gaps between beliefs and practices and deficits in knowledge about cultural and linguistic influences on DLLs. Knowledge was negatively correlated with time since graduation and positively correlated with the proportion of DLLs on caseloads. SLPs in linguistically diverse areas had higher knowledge scores, while best practice use was tied to the percentage of DLLs on caseloads. Continued education, removal of barriers, and support are crucial, particularly for EI SLPs in less diverse contexts or with more time since graduation.

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.

Dialect discovery worksheets focus on children's dialect-appropriate form productivity and sensitivity to linguistic context within a dialect. Focusing on tense and agreement (T/A) forms in African American English (AAE), we demonstrate how these worksheets can be used to reveal grammar strengths in children with typical development (TD) and grammar weaknesses in those with developmental language disorder (DLD).The participants were four kindergartners who spoke AAE (two males and two females; two DLD; two TD). The data were archival and came from an elicitation task. Using the worksheets, we categorized and quantified the participant's T/A dialect-general overt forms, dialect-specific overt forms, and zero forms by linguistic context.The TD participants demonstrated form productivity, producing significant numbers of T/A dialect-general overt, dialect-specific overt, and zero forms. They also varied their overt forms and zero forms in ways that demonstrated sensitivity to linguistic context. Those with DLD did not demonstrate form productivity, and they lacked variation in form use by linguistic context.Dialect discovery worksheets provide useful information about children's grammar systems within the context of their dialect(s). These worksheets should be considered for clinical practice and preprofessional student training.

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.