Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
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Date of Graduation
Spring 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Advisor(s)
Stacey Pavelko
Abstract
English learners (ELs) composed 10% of the American school-age population in the 2014 – 2015 school year. However, only a small percentage of speech language pathologists (SLPs) report feeling well qualified to address the cultural and linguistic needs of ELs. This can be attributed to a number of factors, including inadequate clinical markers, a shortage of developmental data for ELs, and a lack of cultural consideration in standardized assessments. Due to these barriers, SLPs struggle to differentiate between language differences and language disorders and are at risk for over-identifying or under-identifying language impairment (LI) in ELs. Research suggests that a hallmark of LI is particular difficulty with verb usage in English. This study examined whether children who demonstrated difficulty on a standardized test of morphology also demonstrated less proficient use of grammatical morphemes in conversation. The results were then compared to their peers who did not demonstrate difficulty on a standardized test of morphology.
Recommended Citation
Scribano, Sarah, "A step towards differentiating language difference from disorder" (2018). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 587.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/587
