Distinguishing between English as a second language and a language disorder

• Does the child speak another language?
• Does their family speak multiple languages?
• Do parents mix/alternate between languages? E.g. Mother speaks one language and their father speaks another but they speak broken English to their child.
• How much exposure is the child getting to their second language?
• Developmental milestones- both languages (e.g. first words, sentences) and physical (e.g. sitting, crawling, first steps)
• The number of years of schooling students have had in their home countries and whether their schooling has been disrupted
• How long have students been learning English, both in Australia and overseas?
• What is their level of literacy in their first language?
• Are the students making typical progress in learning English?
• What is their access to English outside of school hours?
• Other learning history and achievements in their first and second language.

The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – 5th Edition (CELF-5) is a comprehensive language assessment used to; diagnose a language disorder, describes the nature of the disorder and assists with planning intervention:

• Results are compared to the expected skill level for their age.
• Normed on monolingual Australian children.
• Assessment should be conducted in a child’s first language as ESL students would score poorly if assessed only in their second language, leading to a misdiagnosis of a language disorder.
• If this assessment is used with an ESL student in their second language, this must be taken into consideration when scoring.

Refer to a speech pathologist if you are unsure.

Expressive Language Strategies

• Model the correct pronunciation, word form or sentence structure.
• Provide binary choice to assist with choosing the correct word or sentence.
• Allow the student to take their time when speaking.
• Use visuals to support and prompt the student.
• Help build the students’ vocabulary by pairing words with visuals.
• Teach and model correct social communication skills/vocabulary to use for social communication.

Receptive Language Strategies

• Reduce auditory and visual distractions in the classroom.
• Prompt and prepare students to listen.
• Keep instructions short and simple/ repeat instructions using different words.
• Break down tasks or longer instructions into easy to manage steps.
• Use gestures/visuals when possible.
• Speak clearly and slowly and place emphasis on important instructions or words.
• Check the student has understood the task/instructions (e.g. asking them to repeat in their own words).
• Provide extra response time.

Parents speak in their native language and model correct forms of language to the child.

• Speech Pathologists are trained to determine whether a child is ESL and/or if they have a language disorder.
• Assessment helps to identify areas of strength and areas of improvement to form appropriate treatment plans for the child.
• Intervention targets developmental appropriateness, academic improvements and improvements with social communication.
• Refer/work alongside ESL team in schools.
• Speech Pathologists help to develop a child’s listening and speaking skills to allow them to communicate effectively in all contexts.
• Liaise with parents/carers, teachers and other health professionals to ensure the child’s communication is supported in all environments.
• Help with developing oral language which in turn will have positive outcomes on reading and writing skills.