Tips for Professionals
Clinicians must always endeavor to understand the cultural and linguistic background of their clients and to consider how cultural factors may influence the speech and language patterns the client is using. When evaluating African American clients, it is important to ascertain whether or not the child is following the phonological, morphological or syntactical rules of African American English. If the patterns observed in the child's speech and language are consistent with rules of that dialect, then this indicates that there is really a language difference versus a language disorder.
It is important to keep in mind that many African Americans do not speak African American English and some who do are able to code-switch between AAE and standard American English without any trouble (Roseberry-McKibbin & Hegde, 2011). Additionally, non-African Americans can also speak African American English, particularly if there are a number of African Americans in their peer group (Roseberry-McKibbin & Hegde, 2011).
Clinicians must be especially careful when selecting standardized assessments to use with African American students. Many of these tests where normed on monolingual, middle-class, Anglo students making cultural and linguistic comparisons to African Americans difficult at best (Roseberry-McKibbin & Hegde, 2011).
Style of interaction and other pragmatic considerations can also reflect a cultural difference versus a pragmatic disorder. The Pragmatics section of this website is one source clinicians can use to acquaint themselves with the social interaction style favored by many African Americans. Having knowledge of these differences provides an important framework through which clinicians can consider concerns that are raised about the classroom behavior of African American students or other concerns about social interaction. Again, it is critical for clinicians to distinguish a culturally based difference in social interaction from a pragmatic disorder in order to appropriately evaluate the client.
Since many of the learning styles popular among African American students are in contrast with the style preferred in mainstream American classrooms, clinicians must also take into account whether this discrepancy is hindering the child's classroom performance. It is important to consider whether this difference is contributing to the perception that the child has a speech and language disorder, when, in fact, the challenges really stem from cultural and linguistic differences.
It is important to keep in mind that many African Americans do not speak African American English and some who do are able to code-switch between AAE and standard American English without any trouble (Roseberry-McKibbin & Hegde, 2011). Additionally, non-African Americans can also speak African American English, particularly if there are a number of African Americans in their peer group (Roseberry-McKibbin & Hegde, 2011).
Clinicians must be especially careful when selecting standardized assessments to use with African American students. Many of these tests where normed on monolingual, middle-class, Anglo students making cultural and linguistic comparisons to African Americans difficult at best (Roseberry-McKibbin & Hegde, 2011).
Style of interaction and other pragmatic considerations can also reflect a cultural difference versus a pragmatic disorder. The Pragmatics section of this website is one source clinicians can use to acquaint themselves with the social interaction style favored by many African Americans. Having knowledge of these differences provides an important framework through which clinicians can consider concerns that are raised about the classroom behavior of African American students or other concerns about social interaction. Again, it is critical for clinicians to distinguish a culturally based difference in social interaction from a pragmatic disorder in order to appropriately evaluate the client.
Since many of the learning styles popular among African American students are in contrast with the style preferred in mainstream American classrooms, clinicians must also take into account whether this discrepancy is hindering the child's classroom performance. It is important to consider whether this difference is contributing to the perception that the child has a speech and language disorder, when, in fact, the challenges really stem from cultural and linguistic differences.