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Cultural Views on Language Development in Young Children in Aotearoa New Zealand
What is it about?
This study looked at how mothers from different ethnic backgrounds in New Zealand viewed their 4.5 year old children’s language development and how this may affect access to speech-language therapy services. Data from over 5000 mothers showed that Māori, Pacific, and some other ethnic groups had more children with low language scores. Asian mothers were less likely to report concerns. Higher education in mothers was linked to better language scores but didn’t affect whether mothers raised concerns. Multilingualism wasn’t linked to low scores but did affect whether mothers raised concerns. The findings suggest cultural differences, multilingualism and potential bias in language tests might impact how communication needs are identified.
Why is it important?
This research is important as the percentage of families from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds in English speaking nations is increasing. Professionals, such as speech language therapists, need to understand how culture and multilingualism affects assessment and teaching of speech and language skills to better serve these communities. This paper talks about how culture and multilingualism may affect how children in need of speech and language supports are identified.