Speech-language pathologists increasingly evaluate children who use multiple languages, dialects, and culturally influenced communication styles. However, many traditional assessment approaches were not developed to account for dialect variation or multilingual development, contributing to inequitable identification practices and challenges in diagnostic decision-making.

This intermediate-to-advanced webinar examines the impact of dialect variation—including African American English (AAE)—on language assessment within multilingual contexts. Drawing from current research in narrative language assessment, psychometrics, culturally responsive practice, and strengths-based frameworks, participants will explore evidence-based strategies for distinguishing language difference from language disorder.

Through case studies, narrative language samples, and discussion of dialect-informed assessment approaches (including use of the DELV-ST), attendees will learn how to interpret assessment findings more equitably and integrate multiple data sources into clinical decision-making. Emphasis will be placed on narrative assessment, dynamic assessment, culturally responsive interviewing, and ethical considerations in evaluation.

Participants will leave with practical, clinically applicable tools to support more valid, culturally sustaining, and equitable assessment practices for multilingual and multidialectal learners.

Time-Ordered Agenda
5 min – Introduction and Learning Objectives
15 min – Foundations of Dialect Variation and Multilingualism
20 min – Narrative Language Assessment in Diverse Populations
20 min – Standardized Testing and Equitable Assessment Practices
15 min – Clinical Decision-Making and Practical Applications
15 min – Questions and Discussion

As a result of this presentation the participant will be able to:

Describe how dialect variation may influence performance on language assessments.
Apply culturally responsive strategies for analyzing narrative language samples.
Identify limitations of standardized language assessments for culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
Integrate strengths-based and dialect-informed approaches into clinical decision-making.
Participants will leave with a practical system they can implement immediately, along with renewed confidence in using language sampling as a central component of ethical, effective, and culturally responsive assessment.

Practitioners attending live events will be asked to answer questions at the end of the course about what they learned and how they will use the information they learned in practice. Once the questions (below) are completed, participants will receive their certificate.

One practical takeaway I plan to apply from this session is __________.

Overall, how familiar were you with today’s topic before attending this webinar?

After attending, how confident are you in applying at least one concept from this webinar?

Rate your overall satisfaction with this webinar.

One practical takeaway I will apply from this session is __________.

Practitioners attending recorded sessions demonstrate learning and attendance by passing a quiz with a score of 80% or greater. The quiz addresses questions from material presented throughout the course. Practitioners can retake the quiz if they do not initially obtain a score of at least 80%. For events including case studies, participants download, read, and utilize materials in order to participate.