Chapter 8
Diagnosing speech sound disorder in bilingual Vietnamese-English-speaking children
Are English-only assessments sufficient?
Multilingual children suspected of having speech sound disorders (SSD) are often only assessed in
English due to challenges facing speech-language pathologists (SLPs) such as inadequate resources, lack of access to
multilingual SLPs or interpreters, and limited SLP knowledge and skill in assessing unfamiliar languages. This paper
describes the speech profiles and diagnostic decision-making for four bilingual Vietnamese-English speaking children
aged 4–6 years. When using English-only assessment all children were diagnosed with SSD. When assessed in English and
Vietnamese, only two children were diagnosed with SSD. Many mismatches could be explained by cross-linguistic transfer
and ambient phonology. These different diagnostic outcomes demonstrate that direct speech assessment in home
language(s) and English is essential for accurate diagnosis of SSD in multilingual children.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Speech sound disorders: Assessment and diagnosis in multilingual children
- 2.1Childhood speech sound disorders
- 2.2Speech-language pathology assessment
- 2.3Diagnosing speech sound disorders in multilingual children
- 2.4Speech assessment in all languages spoken
- 3.Four bilingual Vietnamese-English case studies
- 3.1Study context
- 3.2Vietnamese and English phonology
- 3.3Case history reported by parents
- 3.3.1Family A
- 3.3.2Family B
- 3.4Speech assessment and analysis
- 3.5Decision-making only using English assessments
- 3.6Decision-making using English and Vietnamese assessments
- 3.6.1Child 1
- Speech profile in Vietnamese and English
- Diagnosis
- 3.6.2Child 2
- Speech profile in Vietnamese and English
- Diagnosis
- 3.6.3Child 3
- Speech profile in Vietnamese and English
- Diagnosis
- 3.6.4Child 4
- Speech profile in Vietnamese and English
- Diagnosis
- 4.Conclusions and clinical implications
- 4.1Diagnoses based on English-only versus Vietnamese and English
- 4.2Signs of speech sound disorder in bilingual Vietnamese-English-speaking children
- 4.3Clinical implications
- 4.4Conclusion
-
Acknowledgements
-
Notes
-
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Cited by (1)
Cited by one other publication
McLeod, Sharynne, Kathryn Crowe & Jane McCormack
2024.
When Are Speech Sounds Learned and Why Is This Important for Children to Be Heard?. In
Early Childhood Voices: Children, Families, Professionals [
International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development, 42],
► pp. 165 ff.
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