A multi-site review of policies affecting opportunities for children with developmental disabilities to become bilingual.
This review of special education and language-in-education policies at six sites in four countries (Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and Netherlands) aimed to determine the opportunities for bilingualism provided at school for children with developmental disabilities (DD). While research has demonstrated that children with DD are capable of learning more than one language (see Kay Raining Bird, Genesee, & Verhoeven, this issue), it was not clear whether recent policies reflect these findings. The review, conducted using the same protocol across sites, showed that special education policies rarely addressed second language learning explicitly. However, at all sites, the policies favoured inclusion and educational planning based on individual needs, and thus implied that students with DD would have opportunities for second language learning. The language-in-education policies occasionally specified the support individuals with special needs would receive. At some sites, policies and educational options provided little support for minority languages, a factor that could contribute to subtractive bilingualism. At others, we found stronger support for minority languages and optional majority languages: conditions that could be more conducive to additive bilingualism.
Concordia University, Montreal, PQ, Canada. Electronic address: dpesco@education.concordia.ca.
Diane
D
Pesco
Université de Montréal, Montreal, PQ, Canada.
Andrea A A N
AA
MacLeod
Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Elizabeth
E
Kay-Raining Bird
Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Patricia
P
Cleave
Université de Montréal, Montreal, PQ, Canada.
Natacha
N
Trudeau
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Julia Scherba
JS
de Valenzuela
Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
Kate
K
Cain
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Stefka H
SH
Marinova-Todd
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Paola
P
Colozzo
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Hillary
H
Stahl
Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Eliane
E
Segers
Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Ludo
L
Verhoeven
D002170:Canada; D002755:Choice Behavior; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004519:Education, Special; D006801:Humans; D007808:Language Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D019303:Multilingualism; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States
Bilingualism; Developmental disabilities; Inclusive education; Language policy; Special education; Special needs