The percentage of bilingual children in the U.S. continues to grow every year. It is likely that speech pathologists around the country will encounter at least one bilingual student on their caseload, if not many more. Unfortunately, there are endless myths and misunderstandings within parent and professional circles regarding bilingual speech & language development. These perpetuate inappropriate recommendations and practices which lead to heritage language loss within immigrant communities. Therefore, equipping both monolingual and bilingual speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with evidence-based knowledge plus practical resources for working with bilingual children is essential. In this course, SLPs will be introduced or will review phonological processes in monolingual and bilingual typically developing children. From that foundation, they will engage in thinking critically about the similarities and differences between the groups of children. This will ensure a clear understanding of the difference between expected bilingual speech sound development versus atypical/disordered speech sound development. Finally, SLPs will learn practical tips and strategies such as songs, books, for treating these disorders in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way that aligns with the ASHA code of ethics and IDEA law.
This course is offered for 0.1 ASHA CEUs, Intermediate Level, Professional Area, Professional Area