Dynamic assessment of bilingual children’s language at the point of referral

Abstract

The Dynamic Assessment of Preschoolers’ Proficiency in Learning English (DAPPLE) was developed in response to a clinical need to obtain information about bilingual children’s English language learning ability, particularly in the absence of detailed information regarding their proficiency in their other language/s. The assessment looked at children’s responses to opportunities to learn in the three areas of vocabulary, sentence structure and phonology (speech sounds). Twelve bilingual children aged between 3 and 5 years who had been referred to speech and language therapy were assessed. Their responses across the three areas were explored to derive profiles of strength and weakness across language areas. One of the 12 children was found to possess good language learning abilities across all areas, which may reflect an inappropriate referral. All of the remaining children demonstrated difficulties with learning within one or more areas of the DAPPLE, with one child having difficulties across all areas. The findings indicate that the DAPPLE could be used productively as a pre-diagnostic tool. Future directions for the development of the test are considered.