Screening and Evaluation of Culturally and Linguistically

Diverse Populations

Lillian Durán, Ph.D.Utah State Universitylillian.duran@usu.edu

Part Two

FL Developmental Delay Criteria

(2) Criteria for eligibility. A child is eligible for the special program for children who are developmentally delayed when the following criteria are met:

(a) The child is three (3) through five (5) years of age. (b) Documentation of one of the following: 1. A score of two (2) standard deviations (SD) below the mean or a twenty-

five (25) percent delay on measures yielding scores in months in at least one (1) area of development; or

2. A score of 1.5 standard deviations (SD) below the mean or a twenty (20) percent delay on measures yielding scores in months in at least two (2) areas of development; or

3. Based on informed clinical opinion, the eligibility staffing committee makes a recommendation that a developmental delay exists and exceptional student education services are needed.

(c) The eligibility staffing committee in accordance with paragraph 6A-6.0331(2)(b), F.A.C., has made a determination concerning the effects of the environment, cultural differences, or economic disadvantage.

(4) Procedures for evaluation. (a) Delay is documented by a multidisciplinary team in accordance with

paragraph 6A-6.0331(2)(c), F.A.C., utilizing multiple measures of assessment which include:

1. Standardized instruments, judgement based assessments, criterion referenced instruments, systematic observation, functional skills assessments, or other procedures selected in consultation with the parent(s); or

2. Informed clinical opinion utilizing qualitative and quantitative information to determine the need for early intervention services; and

3. Parent report which can confirm or modify information obtained and describe behavior in environments that the district may not be able to access.

(b) When a developmental delay cannot be verified by the use of standardized instruments, the delay(s) may be established through observation of a typical functioning in any one (1) or more of the developmental areas. A report shall be written documenting the evaluation procedures used, the results obtained, the reasons for overriding those results from standardized instruments, and the basis for recommending eligibility.

Example Alternative Eligibility Statement “The standards and procedures (standardized, norm-referenced

scores) used with the majority of children were not used with this child, as the instruments were not normed on bilingual children who speak languages other than English. Such norm-referenced scores are not considered valid for this child. The objective data used to conclude that this child has a disability and is in need of specialized instruction included: (MODIFY AS APPROPRIATE) parent comments, Head Start teacher comments, developmental data, observation of the child in the home/school setting, the child’s responses to items from standardized instruments used with young children, and comparison of his/her skill development with that of siblings (or peers from the same culture).”

 

Screening and Assessment: Options in addition to standardized assessment Parent Report (Restrepo, 1998) Observation in Natural Settings (Restrepo, 1998) Clinical Interviewing (Peña, 2001) Carefully planned pre-referral interventions/ Data collection over time (New RtI model)

Dynamic Assessment (test-teach-retest) (Gutiérrez-Clellan & Peña, 2001)

Testing to the limits (Baca & Cervantes, 2004)These five strategies will be much more effective and meaningful than standardized testing when distinguishing between a second language acquisition issue and a developmental delay (Artiles & Ortiz, Eds., 2002)

.

Family Interviewing

Banks, Santos and Roof (2001), offer seven suggestions for Family Interviewing:

1. It is recommended that a conversational approach be adopted with families,

2. The purpose of the interview should be made clear to the families prior to the visit,

3. A rapport should be established with the family prior to gathering sensitive information. Small gestures such as greeting all of the people present, thanking everyone for their time and sharing background information about yourself and your program can help with that relationship building,

4. Using open-ended questions along with close-ended questions can lend to more of a conversation rather than just a question and response format to the dialogue,

5. Practitioners should be sensitive to the fact that some families may see information gathering as an invasion of their privacy or as threatening or demeaning. They should be sure to use interpreters or “cultural liaisons” whenever possible.

6. Including as many family members that are present as possible in your interview will broaden the scope of the information you are able to gather about the child and their home life. This also recognizes that many times extended family members may play vital roles in the child’s development,

7. Practitioners should begin with more general information and get more specific as the interview progresses.

Understanding culture

Culture is: The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.

The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

(free online dictionary)

Think about previous life experiences

Think about the difficulty of finding their way in a new home

Think about Traditional Customs and Values

Compared to life in the U.S.

Immigration status and fears of possible deportation

U.S. born populations and ongoing struggles with equal opportunity and access

Native Language Revitalization There are several initiatives

underway in the US to revitalize and maintain Indigenous languages and cultures

Many programs rely on elders for transmission of language and cultural traditions to younger generations.

Many native languages are at-risk for extinction if dramatic efforts are not undertaken to preserve them by increasing the number of speakers as quickly as possible

What a different world it would be!

FL currently has 202 children who speak an Indigenous language in your EC programs

Why Save a Language? An excellent video developed by the University

of Montana on the revitalization of Indigenous languages and the critical link between language and culture.

The University of Montana Bookstore5 Campus Dr. (University Center), Missoula, MT 59812Phone: 406-243-1324; 888-333-1995Fax: 406-243-2001contact@umtbookstore.comwww.umtbookstore.com

Two resources for information about various cultural groups Cultural Profiles Project

http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/

Lynch, E.W. & Hanson, M. J. (2004) Developing Cross-Cultural Competence: A Guide for Working with Children and their Families. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes

Preparing families for eligibility determination and IFSP/IEP meetings

Think very carefully about your level of language and jargon

Prepare families for the structure of the meeting and the expectations for their participation

Think about the “implicit” rules that the team brings—How does the family know what to do? What supports are available to them? This is where cultural liasons become invaluable!

Incorporating culture into your evaluation process Be sure to include statements that address

culture in your "Special Considerations" area on your Evaluation Report

Ask yourself, "How might this family's culture and background experiences influence development differently than the population on which the test was normed?

Be sure to document these differences through information gathering and include this information in your report.

Language and cultural considerations Example from Development Behavior Clinic "Julio's" family is from Mexico. Julio's mother

only speaks Spanish, his father speaks intermediate English, but mostly Spanish at home. His older siblings are using lot of English in the home. When asked his parents said that Julio did not need an interpreter for the evaluation because he is beginning to use English words.

"Special Considerations"

Under "Special Considerations" the teacher wrote:

"Julio's language, cultural, economic, or environmental background does not indicate that special adaptations in assessment procedures needed to be made. Julio's parents report that he understands English well and when he does speak it is in English. They did not feel an interpreter would be needed to get accurate assessment results."

Assessments administered to Julio

The Mullen Scales of Early Learning The Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation The Expressive One word Vocabulary Test The Peabody Developmental Motor Scale The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-2 All were administered in English. All standard

scores were reported with no qualifications.

What would you do?

Why might the family decline the use of an interpreter?

What would you tell the family? How would you negotiate this situation?

Is the "Special Considerations" statement okay? What would you write?

What might your evaluation process look like? What tools or alternative procedures might you choose?

Or was this approach acceptable?

Suggested Screening Tool1)The Early Screening Inventory- Revised (ESI-R) (Available in Spanish)

The Early Screening Inventory is recommended as a standardized screening tool for this population because it has more of a developmental focus and is thought to be less culturally biased than other commonly used screeners

Suggested Screening Tool2) Ages and Stages Parent Questionnaire (Available in Spanish)

Research has proven that parents are reliable reporters about their child’s development. Parent report is particularly important when screening children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Suggested Screening Tool

Bilingual Early Language Assessment (BELA) www.cpsd.us/BELA This was designed as an informal measure of

a child’s receptive and expressive language Available for free download in English,

Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and Chinese

Designed for ongoing progress monitoring

Suggested Screening Tool

Minneapolis Preschool Screening Instrument –revised

Covers fine motor, gross motor, language, literacy and concepts

Minneapolis is developing specific norms for the ELL population in their district

There is a Spanish version and they are working on Hmong and Somali

Contact: Christina Sheran, Ph.D.807 NE BroadwayMinneapolis, MN 55413 csheran@mpls.k12.mn.us

Suggested Assessment Tool

2) Child Development Inventory (CDI) (Available in Spanish)

This Developmental Inventory is extensive with 300 questions completed by the parents covering six domains of development; gross motor, fine motor, self-help, social, communication, and general development. The comprehensiveness of this inventory provides valuable insight into the child’s daily functioning in their natural setting as perceived by their primary care provider.

Other Assessments Available in Spanish Battelle Developmental Inventory Learning Accomplishment Profile-Diagnostic

(LAP-D) For language the Preschool Language Scale-

4 (PLS-4) and MacArthur-Bates Inventarios del Desarrollo de Habilidades Comunicativas

Spanish Language Assessments

If you use a Spanish language assessment administered by licensed bilingual personnel with a Spanish-speaking child then you can report the scores i.e. the PLS-4, The Battelle, the LAP-D, the ESI-R, etc.

Assessment for language groups other than Spanish To be clear I am NOT saying that there are no

instruments to use to evaluate a CLD child's need for special education

What I am saying is that you need to be CAUTIOUS in how you report scores and findings from whatever instrument you choose.

There ARE instruments that you can use in Spanish, but at this point not in other language groups. For other languages, or Spanish as well the TPBA may be a good approach to evaluation.

Suggested Assessment ToolTransdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment

(TPBA)Linder, 2007

The Transdiciplinary Play-Based Assessment (TPBA) provides a functional approach to the assessment of young children ages 0-6 in the

Cognitive, Social-emotional, Communication, and Sensorimotor domains.

TPBA

To complete the assessment the child is observed by an ECSE team that can include an:

• early childhood special education teacher,

• a speech and language pathologist, • a physical therapist and • an occupational therapist during structured and unstructured

play sessions.

Organized into four sections in which the child:

1. plays with a familiar care provider,

2. a play facilitator (i.e. a member of the ECSE team),

3. a peer, and 4. in conclusion is provided a snack

and observed while eating and socializing.

TPBA

The TPBA does not provide standard scores it instead summarizes information in terms of a developmental profile.

Given that standard scores are generally not reliable or reportable for this population it is not a concern that the TPBA does not provide standard scores for eligibility determination.

TPBA

It provides a much more functional and holistic picture of the child’s development which ultimately is what is needed for the determination of special education eligibility for young children who are English language learners.

Federal Guidelines

Whenever possible the child should be seen at home at least once where both the parents and the child will be more comfortable. It is also important to see a child over a period of time and in different settings if appropriate i.e. home, child care and preschool to help determine if a child is truly disabled.

If the parents are concerned with their child’s development, the child’s skills should be evaluated.

Federal Guidelines

Tests that are translated should not be scored. Scores from a standardized test that is given in a non-standardized manner (i.e., translating it into another language) should not be reported.

If it is thought that lack of exposure to certain materials or tasks may be the cause of the child’s underperformance, a test-teach-retest approach may be useful to rule out lack of exposure with certain skills.

Federal Guidelines

A decision-making model should be employed to determine eligibility if standard scores are not reported and the evaluation report should provide information about which data sources had the greatest relative importance for the eligibility decision. These data sources can include: teacher comments, previous testing, observational data, ecological assessments, parent report and other developmental data.

Federal Guidelines

Special Education assessment must be done in the child’s primary language or languages.

Communication to the parents and due process forms must be in the parent’s primary language, either written or orally translated.

No single procedure should be used to determine eligibility.

Testing materials and procedures should be used that are not racially or culturally discriminatory.

Resources

Artiles, A. & Ortiz, A. (2002). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Identification, Assessment, and Instruction. McHenry, IL: Center for Applied Linguistics

Barrera, I. & Kramer, L. (2009) Using Skilled Dialogue to Transform Challenging Interactions. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes

Paradis, Genesee, & Crago (2010). Dual Language Development and Disorders: A Handbook on Bilingualism and Second Language Learning. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes

Resources

Lynch, E.W. & Hanson, M. J. (2004) Developing Cross-Cultural Competence: A Guide for Working with Children and their Families. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes

Tabors, P. (2009) One Child Two Languages: A Guide for Preschool Educators of Children Learning English as a Second Language. (2nd Ed.) Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes

Resources

Ohtake, Santos, & Fowler (2000). It's a three-way conversation: Families, service providers, and interpreters working together. Young Exceptional Children, 4 (12), 12-18.

Cheatham, Santos, & Ro. (2007). Home language acquisition and retention. Young Exceptional Children, 11(1), 27-40.

Resources

Espinosa, L.M. (2008). Challenging common myths about young English language

learners. Foundation for Child Development Policy Brief Number 8. Retrieve from

http://www.fcdus.org/resources/resources_show.htm?doc_id=669789

Websites for family information in languages other than English

March of Dimes--Companion website all in Spanish about health during pregnancy, prematurity, birth defects, and some other pregnancy and newborn information http://www.nacersano.org/

Zero to Three-- Parent Hand-outs on child development available in Spanish http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_par_parenthandouts

Hennepin County Library--Reading tips in many languages and there is an "español" link with a lot of information about early literacy in Spanish for families http://www.hclib.org/BirthTo6/EarlyLit_ReadingTips.cfm

PACER Center-- translated materials about Special Education and school into Hmong, Somali and Spanish http://www.pacer.org/translations/index.asp

Also see ELL Resource List for websites at the end