028: Language: Myths in Bilingualism and Language Impairment

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day, I'm airing a special series of intimate and insightful interviews with four Harvard educators and two University of California professors on topics related to Implicit Bias. Our fifth topic of the 6-part series: Language.

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Elizabeth Pena, Speech Language Pathologist and professor at the University of California, Irvine. She shares insights on issues and myths in language diagnostics in schools based on her 30+ years of experience in the field and in research. The following topics were discussed:

Implicit Bias (Language Impairment & Bilingualism)

• Debunking parenting and schooling myth around language usage
• The role of bilingualism in Special education
• Developmental Language Disorder: what it is and ways to diagnose
• Consequences in overidentification to under-identification of language impairment
• How parents can advocate for timely and accurate language testing at school