Language Assessment in Bilingual Turkish-Speaking Preschoolers With Developmental Language Disorders: A Tutorial

Abstract

Purpose: Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a common childhood disorder that hinders children from functioning in other developmental areas, such as social–emotional and cognitive domains. Consequently, a comprehensive speech and language assessment of children is of great importance. Of concern, however, is the challenge for speech and language pathologists to assess the speech and language skills of bilingual children. This article aims to inform clinicians, researchers, and other experts working with bilingual Turkish-speaking children with DLD about bilingual language assessment. Method: The current literature on Turkish–English bilingual language acquisition and bilingual language assessment is reviewed, and the general characteristics of bilingual development are reported. In order to understand how the first language affects the second language, a contrastive analysis of the Turkish and English languages is summarized. A case study is described to highlight essential factors to take into account when creating a comprehensive language assessment battery for Turkish, covering all areas impacted by DLD. Results: The results of the proposed language assessment protocol are analyzed, and its practical use is discussed. Additionally, the case study child's strengths and the skills requiring support are interpreted with regard to their implications for daily life activities and prospective academic requirements. Conclusions: This tutorial highlights the importance of comprehensive language assessment for the differential diagnosis of DLD in bilinguals as the most essential step to develop an appropriate intervention program and counseling procedures. Such assessment considers individual as well as cultural differences of children and their family members.