Application of a framework for culturally and linguistically responsive speech and language assessments in multilingual contexts: a majority world example from Ghana

Background: There is a scarcity of tools available to assess the speech and language of multilingual children in Majority World Countries. Thus, evidence-based guidance is needed to facilitate the development of appropriate tools for accurate identification of children with speech and language disorders in these contexts. Methods: This discussion paper applies a framework for cultural and linguistic considerations when working with multilingual children to the Ghanaian context to illustrate their real-world application in the development of an assessment tool in Ghanaian English for use with multilingual children in Ghana. This paper also reviews definitions of cultural and linguistic responsiveness and discusses its importance in speech-language pathology (SLP) practice. Contribution: This paper identifies linguistic considerations, cultural considerations and methods for collecting linguistically and culturally appropriate assessment data in the Ghanaian context. These considerations provide an example to demonstrate culturally and linguistically appropriate development of assessment tools for multilingual Majority World populations. Conclusions: There is a lack of research related to developing culturally responsive assessment tools for multilingual children in Majority World contexts. This paper applies an evidence-based framework to provide a road map for navigating the complexities of developing culturally and linguistically responsive assessment tools for multilingual children in Majority World contexts.