Cultural Linguistic Bias In Language Assessments for Children

Cultural linguistic bias is present in almost all language assessments for children, such as the Preschool Language Scales (PLS-5) and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-5). Cultural linguistic bias is bias against those who speak a different dialect, such as African American Vernacular English or Appalachian English. Bias in these assessments leads to over-diagnosing children with language disorders, which is harmful in a number of ways. To decrease this bias, SLPs should take a language sample to assess a child’s natural language. However, this process can be time-consuming, which is why the use of online tools, such as SUGAR, should be encouraged. This allows for an SLP to take, analyze, and interpret a language sample in a shorter amount of time. Language sampling helps to combat cultural linguistic bias because it allows for an SLP to analyze the child’s natural language in their least restrictive environment.