Language and communication
Extended Essay
2. Compare and contrast the utility of using Total Conceptual Vocabulary versus
Dynamic Assessment to investigate whether a bilingual child might have a language
disorder of neuro-developmental origins.
BILINGUAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Simultaneous versus sequential bilingualism
Balanced bilinguals versus bilinguals who dominant in one or the other language
Passive bilinguals (can understand but not speak the additional language)
DEVELOPING NEURODEVELOPMENT DIFFICULTIES IN BILINGUALS
DELAY VERSUS DISORDER
• <60% of children with expressive language delay between ages 2-3 resolved difficulties
spontaneously
• Late talkers catch up by age 5
• Language disorder represents a situation in which the chid is unlikely to be able to meet
the socially defined functional expectations either currently or in the future because of
his current of future language abilities
PREVALENCE RATES
• Around 5% of monolinguals and bilinguals have a speech, language or communication
disorder: specific Language Impairment, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Social
Communication Disorder expected in bilingual
bilingual children are at risk for under referral in the UK
Bilingualism and assessment of Language disorder
Balanced simultaneous bilinguals will tend to master vocabulary and syntax a little later
than monolinguals, but they will still fall within the functional norms for their peer group.
Bilingual children are NOT more vulnerable to language or communication
disorders than are monolinguals.
Adequate standardised language assessments for bilingual children urgently
need to be developed.
Bilingualism does not cause language disorder
Bilingualism does not lead to a functionally significant delay in language acquisition
What is Total Conceptual Vocabulary (TCV)? Dynamic Assessment
TCV refers to the number of concepts norms from language assessments
standardised on monolingual English-
that a child has mapped to language. speaking children cannot be applied to
culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD)
Bilinguals may use their languages in population
different contexts, and their
Some of the early work of applying DA in
, vocabulary may reflect this. They may Speech and Language Therapy in the UK
was carried out by Camilleri and Law (2007).
have a word in one language and not
the other, or two words for the same
concept (one in each language). TCV Aim
determine children’s learning
reflects how many concepts a child
potential, and reduce the cultural and
has mapped to words. linguistic bias inherent to static tests
TCV is an appropriate assessment Da is appropriate assessment component
component because: because:
dynamic assessment (DA) is used as
a complementary approach.
TCV takes into account a bilingual’s Researchers have demonstrated its
vocabulary in both languages and is a potential as an effective tool for
better reflection of vocabulary discriminating disorder from
difference due to linguistic context
knowledge than monolingual tests.
(Hasson et al., 2013),
For typically developing, bilingual, identifying clinical need in CLD
preschool-aged children, their TCV population (Hasson and Joffe, 2007;
Lids and Pena, 2009).
should be similar to that of a typically
developing monolingual child. You DA methods were more predictive in
can compare the TCV to the Spanish differentiating typically developing
and English monolingual norms to see children from those with language
impairment (Pena et al., 2001) in CLD
and use this information as a piece of population on a word-learning task.
your converging evidence.
How DA works
How to assess TCV incorporates a range of methods for
exploring learning potential using
prompts, cues and mediation based
Administer a vocabulary checklist in
on different models (testing the limits,
each language such as the graduated prompting and test-teach-
MacArthur-Bates Communicative retest) (Pena et al., 2001).
Development Inventories (CDI’s) and enables a deep understanding of
cognitive processes i.e. tactics,
the MacArthur-Bates Inventarios del strategies, habits, modes of thinking,
Desarrollo de Habilidades approaching and solving problems
Communicativas. Each can be filled (Haywood and Lidz, 2007).
The main focus is on determining the
out by the parent, teacher, or whoever ‘zone of proximal development’
has the most knowledge of the child’s (Vygotsky, 1978) that lies between the
language. level of performance the child can
reach unassisted and the level
The TCV can be calculated by attained with adult assistance
(Gutierrez-Clellen & Pena, 2001).
comparing the lists and calculating Since DA is firmly grounded in the
how many concepts the child has a concepts of Vygotsky and Feuerstein,
label for. it can tap on cognitive functions
(metacognitive awareness) that are
For example, if the child has a word crucial for language learning
Extended Essay
2. Compare and contrast the utility of using Total Conceptual Vocabulary versus
Dynamic Assessment to investigate whether a bilingual child might have a language
disorder of neuro-developmental origins.
BILINGUAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Simultaneous versus sequential bilingualism
Balanced bilinguals versus bilinguals who dominant in one or the other language
Passive bilinguals (can understand but not speak the additional language)
DEVELOPING NEURODEVELOPMENT DIFFICULTIES IN BILINGUALS
DELAY VERSUS DISORDER
• <60% of children with expressive language delay between ages 2-3 resolved difficulties
spontaneously
• Late talkers catch up by age 5
• Language disorder represents a situation in which the chid is unlikely to be able to meet
the socially defined functional expectations either currently or in the future because of
his current of future language abilities
PREVALENCE RATES
• Around 5% of monolinguals and bilinguals have a speech, language or communication
disorder: specific Language Impairment, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Social
Communication Disorder expected in bilingual
bilingual children are at risk for under referral in the UK
Bilingualism and assessment of Language disorder
Balanced simultaneous bilinguals will tend to master vocabulary and syntax a little later
than monolinguals, but they will still fall within the functional norms for their peer group.
Bilingual children are NOT more vulnerable to language or communication
disorders than are monolinguals.
Adequate standardised language assessments for bilingual children urgently
need to be developed.
Bilingualism does not cause language disorder
Bilingualism does not lead to a functionally significant delay in language acquisition
What is Total Conceptual Vocabulary (TCV)? Dynamic Assessment
TCV refers to the number of concepts norms from language assessments
standardised on monolingual English-
that a child has mapped to language. speaking children cannot be applied to
culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD)
Bilinguals may use their languages in population
different contexts, and their
Some of the early work of applying DA in
, vocabulary may reflect this. They may Speech and Language Therapy in the UK
was carried out by Camilleri and Law (2007).
have a word in one language and not
the other, or two words for the same
concept (one in each language). TCV Aim
determine children’s learning
reflects how many concepts a child
potential, and reduce the cultural and
has mapped to words. linguistic bias inherent to static tests
TCV is an appropriate assessment Da is appropriate assessment component
component because: because:
dynamic assessment (DA) is used as
a complementary approach.
TCV takes into account a bilingual’s Researchers have demonstrated its
vocabulary in both languages and is a potential as an effective tool for
better reflection of vocabulary discriminating disorder from
difference due to linguistic context
knowledge than monolingual tests.
(Hasson et al., 2013),
For typically developing, bilingual, identifying clinical need in CLD
preschool-aged children, their TCV population (Hasson and Joffe, 2007;
Lids and Pena, 2009).
should be similar to that of a typically
developing monolingual child. You DA methods were more predictive in
can compare the TCV to the Spanish differentiating typically developing
and English monolingual norms to see children from those with language
impairment (Pena et al., 2001) in CLD
and use this information as a piece of population on a word-learning task.
your converging evidence.
How DA works
How to assess TCV incorporates a range of methods for
exploring learning potential using
prompts, cues and mediation based
Administer a vocabulary checklist in
on different models (testing the limits,
each language such as the graduated prompting and test-teach-
MacArthur-Bates Communicative retest) (Pena et al., 2001).
Development Inventories (CDI’s) and enables a deep understanding of
cognitive processes i.e. tactics,
the MacArthur-Bates Inventarios del strategies, habits, modes of thinking,
Desarrollo de Habilidades approaching and solving problems
Communicativas. Each can be filled (Haywood and Lidz, 2007).
The main focus is on determining the
out by the parent, teacher, or whoever ‘zone of proximal development’
has the most knowledge of the child’s (Vygotsky, 1978) that lies between the
language. level of performance the child can
reach unassisted and the level
The TCV can be calculated by attained with adult assistance
(Gutierrez-Clellen & Pena, 2001).
comparing the lists and calculating Since DA is firmly grounded in the
how many concepts the child has a concepts of Vygotsky and Feuerstein,
label for. it can tap on cognitive functions
(metacognitive awareness) that are
For example, if the child has a word crucial for language learning
