Browsing by Author "Moosa, Farzaana"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Language assessment practices in the diagnosis of specific language impairment in school-age children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds : a scoping review
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Moosa, Farzaana; Dawood, Gouwa; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences. Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: Background: As cultural and linguistic diversity increases due to the rise of global migration, the emphasis on providing equitable speech therapy services intensifies. The diverse nature and complexity of each language makes it challenging for clinicians to accurately diagnose Specific Language Impairment (SLI) in children from diverse backgrounds. It has been an active topic in the literature for more than a decade, yet appropriate countrywide assessment practices have still not been clearly defined, due to the cultural and linguistic diversity (CLD) of South Africa. Speech language therapists (SLTs) face universal challenges regarding the lack of appropriate and comprehensive assessment measures that accurately represent the CLD population and are unbiased. The challenges further include navigating diagnostic procedures for use by clinicians who do not possess proficiency in their client's home language, as well as a shortage of explicit guidelines. Research aim: Given the limited clinical guidelines available to assess this population, the scoping review aimed to determine the extent of available research regarding language assessment practices for the diagnosis of SLI in CLD school-aged children. The study further aimed to investigate the perception of South African SLTs concerning the feasibility of the assessment practices identified in the review. Method: The scoping review consisted of two phases. Phase one comprised the literature review investigating language assessment practices for the diagnosis of SLI (steps one to five). Thereafter, Phase two, the consultation phase (step six), was conducted using questionnaires. Eight South African SLTs working within the private and state sectors with school-aged learners from CLD backgrounds participated in the stakeholder consultation phase. Findings: A total of 32 articles were reviewed and included in the scoping review. The following themes were identified based on the literature: criteria for the diagnosis of SLI, procedure of assessment, and language assessment tools for the diagnosis of SLI. Although the eight SLTs who were consulted shared standard criteria for diagnosis, there were differences in the procedures and materials used for assessments. Conclusion: This scoping review provides summarised evidence from existing literature about assessment practices and drawing together the experiences of South African SLTs, who have resorted to informal language assessment approaches by amending existing tests to be more culturally inclusive. The current review highlighted the need for CLD-appropriate language assessment resources and specific evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis of SLI in children from CLD backgrounds. These resources should optimally include contextually relevant norms in each language, which would ensure a more precise determination of diagnostic criteria cut-off points on language assessments.