Language evaluations are challenging enough; but when we’re evaluating multilingual and bilingual students, they become even more complex. 

When clinicians ask me about language evaluations, the questions are typically:

What tools/protocols can I use? 

Who can I go to for help? 

How can I advocate for change if current policies don’t support best practices?

That’s why I invited Prabhu Eswaran and Puja Goel to episode 186 of De Facto Leaders to help answer some of these questions as they relate to multilingual learners.  

Prabhu Eswaran is an ASHA certified school-based speech-language pathologist in Los Angeles, California. His areas of interests include child language disorders, communication disorders in culturally and linguistically diverse populations and technology in special education. He is now serving in the advisory board of MCCG SAC-ASHA’s Executive Board. 

Puja Goel, MA, CCC-SLP, PNAP, (she/her/hers) is a multilingual school-based speech language pathologist (SLP) who has worked for the Chicago Public Schools and currently works in New Mexico as a supervising SLP. Puja recently completed her administrative licensure in the state of NM which allows her to work as an administrator in schools. Puja is a member of ASHA, CASE and appointed to NAP. She completed the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Leadership Development Program and Minority Student Leadership Program and served on the Multicultural Issues Board. 

Puja is a first-generation South Asian born in the United States. Puja can be contacted via email: pujagoel2020@gmail.com.

In this episode, we discuss:

✅What to do when standardized assessments aren’t normed in a student’s language. 

✅Making a case for non-standardized data when standard scores don’t provide quality information.

✅Service planning for multilingual students and recommended resources

✅Getting started with advocacy at the state and national level.

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