About this ebook
In separate chapters, the book synthesizes the literature on bilingual children and adults with typical and atypical language skills. These chapters give the reader a deep understanding of the multiple factors that affect language development and disorders in those who rely on two languages for meaningful interactions. Chapters on assessment and intervention issues and methods are then presented for each population.
For children, the text focuses on developmental language disorder but also discusses secondary language disorders (such as autism spectrum disorder) in bilingual populations. For adults, the focus is on aphasia, with additional discussion of dementia, traumatic brain injury, and right hemisphere disorder. Although child and adult, typical and atypical populations are presented separately, all are considered within a unifying Dynamic Interactive Processing perspective and within a new Means-Opportunities-Motives framework for understanding language disorders in bilinguals. This broad theoretical framework emphasizes interactions between social, cognitive, and communicative systems to form the basis for very practical implications related to assessment and intervention.
This third edition has been completely updated to reflect the current research on bilingual populations and the best practices for working with them. Studies at the intersection of bilingualism and language disorders have expanded to include additional disorders and new language combinations. The authors synthesize the current literature and translate it for clinical use.
New to the Third Edition
• Coauthors Kerry Danahy Ebert, PhD, CCC-SLP and Giang Thuy Pham, PhD, CCC-SLP
• Updated literature review and references to reflect new research on bilingualism, cultural competence, cognitive advantages and clinical practice with linguistically diverse populations
• Case studies on assessment with bilingual children and adults
• Additional tables and figures summarizing key information
• Available evidence on additional child and adult language disorders in bilinguals
• Updated extension activities and resource supplement
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About the author
Kathryn Kohnert, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota. She received her PhD from the joint doctoral program in Language and Communicative Disorders at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Kohnert’s NIH-funded research focused on language and cognition in diverse populations, including bilingual children and adults with and without language impairment. She is a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Dr. Kohnert has received many awards for research, teaching excellence, and professional service.
Kerry Danahy Ebert, PhD, CCC-SLP has been a speech-language pathologist serving diverse children for over 15 years. She completed a B.S. at Stanford University as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Ebert was Associate Professor and SLP Program Director at Rush University, teaching courses on children’s speech and language disorders and cultural and linguistic diversity in speech-language pathology. She also conducts research on the cognitive-linguistic profiles of bilingual and monolingual children with developmental language disorder and implications for effective assessment and treatment services. Dr. Ebert is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota.
Giang Thuy Pham, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor in the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State University, where she co-coordinates the M.A. Bilingual Specialization Programs and directs the Bilingual Development in Context Research Laboratory. Dr. Pham completed undergraduate degrees at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, the M.A. at San Diego State University, and the Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. She is a trilingual (English, Vietnamese, and Spanish) speech-language pathologist and a certified member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Dr. Pham’s NIH-funded research aims to improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment for diverse language learners, including children who speak Vietnamese or Spanish.
