Abstract
BackgroundSpecific language impairment (SLI) is difficult to identify because it is a subtle linguistic difficulty, and there are a few measures available to differentiate between typical and atypical language development in bilinguals. Sentence repetition (SR) has strong theoretical foundations and research evidence as a valid tool for the identification of SLI in bilinguals.ObjectiveThis study assessed the value of SR using peer group comparisons to identify Sepedi-English bilingual children at the risk of SLI.MethodOne hundred and two Grade 3 learners in three different contexts of education were assessed on equivalent English and Sepedi SR measures.ResultsEleven participants who scored between 1 and 2 standard deviations (SD) below the peer group means on both the English and Sepedi SR tests were identified with possible SLI. Learners in the English language of learning and teaching (LoLT) – Sepedi additional language (SAL) context obtained similar scores in both languages, a higher score in English than the English LoLT group and a higher score in Sepedi than the Sepedi LoLT – EAL group. The English LoLT group obtained a significantly higher score in English than in Sepedi and a significantly lower score than the other two groups in Sepedi. The Sepedi LoLT group obtained a significantly higher score in Sepedi than in English, their additional language, in which they obtained a significantly lower score than the other two groups.ConclusionSentence repetition tasks are valid screening tools to identify bilingual children with SLI by comparing them to peer groups. The SR tests were sensitive to language practices in different educational contexts. It was observed that a bilingual approach that uses both English and the home language as academic languages leads to better language outcomes.
Highlights
South African speech-language therapists are tasked with the identification of language impairment in children who speak a variety of languages and, in most cases, a combination of languages, because the majority of the population are bilingual or multilingual.Specific or primary language impairment (SLI) is difficult to identify because it occurs in the absence of any obvious physical, cognitive, neurological, visual or hearing disabilities (Bishop, Snowling, Thompson, Greenhalgh, & the CATALISE-2 Consortium, 2017)
The findings of this study suggest that speech-language therapists working in educational contexts can use Sentence repetition (SR) tasks as screening tools to identify bilingual children with language impairments by comparing them to peer groups
This population-based strategy is likely to yield far more accurate and valid identification than other measures. This would require the development of SR tests in all South African languages, but clinicians and researchers are encouraged to take up this challenge, because SR has strong theoretical foundations as a comprehensive language assessment tool
Summary
South African speech-language therapists are tasked with the identification of language impairment in children who speak a variety of languages and, in most cases, a combination of languages, because the majority of the population are bilingual or multilingual.Specific or primary language impairment (SLI) is difficult to identify because it occurs in the absence of any obvious physical, cognitive, neurological, visual or hearing disabilities (Bishop, Snowling, Thompson, Greenhalgh, & the CATALISE-2 Consortium, 2017). A group of child language clinicians and researchers across the world (the CATALISE consortium) used the Delphi process to arrive at a consensus definition for the broader term, DLD. This group recommended that the term DLD be used to describe children who have an impairment in language, with or without an intellectual disability (Green, 2020), contrasting the term with SLI. Specific language impairment (SLI) is difficult to identify because it is a subtle linguistic difficulty, and there are a few measures available to differentiate between typical and atypical language development in bilinguals. Sentence repetition (SR) has strong theoretical foundations and research evidence as a valid tool for the identification of SLI in bilinguals
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Kommunikasieafwykings
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
