Language
A Spanish-English bilingual student says "bery" for "very" and "espoon" for spoon. She speaks in full sentences in both English and Spanish. Difference or disorder?
Likely a language difference (typical transfer from Spanish).
The stage of second language acquisition in which a child speaks little to no L2, observes peers closely, and uses a lot of gestures and pointing.
Silent or pre-production period.
A Spanish-English bilingual student uses short, choppy sentences: "Me want go park," "Dog run," "No like that." He understands complex directions and uses longer sentences in Spanish. Difference or disorder?
Language difference - still transferring grammar from Spanish.
A Farsi-English bilingual student understands both Farsi and English directions, but has difficulty forming sentences in both languages. His speech includes sound errors and word order issues that don't match either language. Difference or disorder?
Likely an expressive language disorder - difficulties in grammar, word order, and sound production across both languages.
An English language learner struggles to understand or express themselves in both their home language and English. Should you be concerned about a possible language disorder?
Yes.
A Spanish-English bilingual student mixes languages within the same sentence ("Yo quiero the red one"). He understands directions in both languages. Difference or disorder?
Language difference - code-switching is normal.
Yes.
A student speaks Somali at home and English at school. She has difficulty understanding both Somali and English and uses single words or gestures to communicate wants and needs. Parents report she has been a "late talker." Difference or disorder?
Likely a language disorder - she struggles to understand and use both languages, showing limited comprehension and expressive language.
An English-only student is difficult to understand even for familiar adults. He makes inconsistent sound errors that don't follow typical patterns (e.g. "chawa" for "Star Wars"). Difference or disorder?
Likely a speech sound disorder - he is monolingual, inconsistent, and his atypical errors.
Does understanding come before speaking, or speaking before understanding?
Understanding comes before speaking.
A Mandarin-English bilingual student says "ca" for "cat," "ba" for "ball," and omits final sounds in both languages. Teachers report it is difficult to understand her in both languages. Difference or disorder?
Possible speech sound disorder - atypical in both languages.
An English-only student has trouble following directions and often uses non-specific words ("that thing," "over there"). Parents report similar issues at home. Difference or disorder?
Possible language disorder - has receptive and expressive difficulties in native language.
A Korean-English bilingual student replaces /r/ with /l/ ("light" for "right") and sometimes /f/ for /p/. She communicates clearly and confidently. Difference or disorder?
Language difference - transfer from Korean.
No - encourage use of their home language, as a strong foundation in their L1 will actually help their child learn English more easily.
A student moved to the U.S. one year ago and speaks Arabic at home. He has trouble following directions in both Arabic and English. His speech is difficult to understand in all settings. He uses gestures instead of words and becomes frustrated when he is not understood. What are the red flags that suggest a possible speech-language disorder?
Limited comprehension in both languages, speech intelligibility is low in both languages, and he has frustration when communicating.
The stage of learning a second language when a child uses more complex sentences and understands most classroom conversations.
Intermediate fluency.
A child learning English as a second language uses telegraphic speech and relies heavily on gestures. What stage of second language acquisition is this?
Early production.
The name of the process in which a multilingual learner mixes words from both languages "Mi mamá is coming."
Code-switching
A child learning English a second language uses sentences such as "I go outside," "I want juice," and "What this call?" What stage of second language acquisition is this?
Speech emergence.
A Mandarin-English bilingual student understands stories in both languages but stutters frequently, especially when excited or speaking English. His family reports same in Mandarin. Difference or disorder?
Possible fluency disorder (stuttering) - occurs in both languages.
An Arabic-English bilingual student often leaves out the verb "is" ("She happy," "He playing outside."). Her speech is clear in both languages. Difference or disorder?
Language difference - Arabic doesn't use "is" in the same way.
What is it called when children naturally use the patterns from their first language when learning a second language?
Transfer or interference.
A Russian-English bilingual student says "wabbit" for "rabbit" and "lellow" for "yellow." All other sounds are age-appropriate. Parents report the same pattern in Russian. Difference or disorder?
Neither - it is a developmental speech pattern that is typical for four-year-olds, not a disorder.
An English language learner has difficulty in both languages and shows no improvement over time after targeted classroom strategies such as visuals, modeling, repetition, and peer interaction have been implemented. What is a logical next step?
Refer the child for a speech-language evaluation.
A student speaks Urdu at home and has been attending an English preschool for two years. She rarely speaks at school, and usually only whispers or nods. Parents report she talks normally at home with the family in both languages. Difference or disorder?
Tricky question - neither! This student's language skills are intact at home but not used in the classroom. She likely has selective mutism (an anxiety-based behavior), not a language difference or disorder.