Second Language Acquisition

Question

Answer

Thank you for the question. This is not a simple answer of a specific assessment battery. There is a lot to cover to assist you in working with this child. I will start with a point of clarification on the question being raised for this recently adopted child. The question reads "what should a typical assessment for this child look like?". I am not certain of the purpose behind the assessment. So, I want to clarify between general assessment of skills and abilities vs. assessment for the purpose of identifying/diagnosing a disability. (Is one suspected?) Which ever question is being asked, the answer is first and foremost grounded in a firm knowledge of the stages and characteristics of second language learning.

Although I can only give you some general guidelines, (without knowing more details about the child, e.g., specifics of the current daycare setting, degree/if any ELL support, use of child's first language, siblings, opportunities for home adult/sibling interactions, etc.) we do have information from the fields of linguistics and second language learning that will guide us. First, a couple more questions to think about. What is meant by the observation that she 'seems to be learning English'? What has been observed about this child's receptive and expressive language that lead to that conclusion, can you elaborate? What about play behaviors and interactions with adults/peers? If this child were a monolingual English speaker how would these behaviors compare? I also read that she 'does not talk as much as other kids'. Is she talking in English? Native language? Both? How is expressive language reinforced? Is she "corrected" for use of native language? Are responses to her English/native language use consistently reinforced among all adults? Is she understood by others?

Now, let's look at these questions in context of what is known about typical second language learning. We know that a 'silent period' is described in the literature as an accepted stage of second language learning. This is a variable period of time where development of receptive language skills rules. The period may last weeks to months, and is dependent on many individual and environmental factors. To 'assess' for understanding, we could construct social/play-based activities that require non-verbal responses, in light of this silent period. We can do this over several sessions, comparing richness of response and rate of learning. Knowledge of the silent period is key and should allow you to look at her emerging skills through a better lens. However, there is another huge piece here. We cannot look at second language learning in isolation. We must take factors of acculturation into consideration. This child was adopted just a few months ago and is adjusting to many changes in her young life. She is still learning about the adults she can trust and bond with in her environment. She is in a very different caretaker situation than she has experienced in the orphanage (more about that below). The fact that she is not talking 'as much' may have a basis in such factors during this adjustment period, as much as specifics of the stages of second language learning. This is just one example.

Knowing that this child came from an orphanage is an important factor to mention. Internationally Adopted (IA) children are potentially presented with additional challenges to language development, as issues regarding: caregiver/s, health, nutrition, play, etc. can further compromise language development. Again, although we do not know details of this particular child's circumstance, evidence highlighting the importance of these factors for IA children is widely accepted in the field.

Now, in addition to applying what we know about second language acquisition, acculturation, and IA issues, we now have to think about the speech/language development issues that are not related to second language factors. You have report of frequent OM for her first two years in the orphanage, with no signs of active OM now. I would start by asking the same questions that we would ask for any other (monolingual) child. Do we have current results confirming normal hearing thresholds? Do we know what language development milestones were met/not met in the child's first language, during those first two years? Were there delays in first language understanding/use? Were there any phonologic delays/disorders? In addition, what do we know about prenatal history and other details of birth circumstances: early bonding/language/adult interaction opportunities? Realizing that as an IA child these details may not be available, I mention these details to keep in mind that we need to consider all factors that we would generally consider for any other child not dealing with learning a second language.

So, to summarize.. your "typical" assessment is truly about individualizing the gathering of much more background information and rich observational, as well as, anecdotal data. Keep in mind that anecdotal reports are best when gathered across settings, across time, and from a variety of sources (e.g., parents, daycare providers, extended family members, etc.). Look for evidence of learning within a dynamic assessment paradigm. Look at this data against what is known about second language learning and related issues. I hope this response has helped you dig further and to assist the family you are working with.

Elenny Tuleta has a knowledge base that is grounded in both Linguistics (B.S. The Ohio State University,with studies at the University of Lyon, France) and Communication Sciences (M.A., Case Western Reserve University). Elenny also holds an M.A. in Educational Administration and certification for Teaching English as a Second Language. She has worked in the public school setting in programs for English Language Learners, and as a fully accredited SLP. Currently, she is the Language Services Department Head for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City Schools. With her background in both regular education and special education, Elenny continually strives to bridge understanding between professionals in the area of cultural and linguistic diversity.