Development of the First Formal Ghanaian English Speech and Language Assessment Tool for Multilingual Children: Application of a Converging Evidence Approach

Abstract – Introduction: Accurate identification of speech and language disorders in multilingual children can be challenging due to a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment tools. Many multilingual children are assessed with tools designed for monolingual children, resulting in misdiagnosis of speech and language disorders. This study aimed to use the first formal tool specifically designed for the Ghanaian context, the Bampoe Ghanaian English Speech and Language Assessment (B-GESLA), to develop speech and language profiles of children. The B-GESLA can be used by speech and language pathologists (SLPs) in Ghana to identify speech and language disorders in multilingual children by forming a vital component of a converging evidence approach to assessment. Methods: The speech and language skills of 100 typically developing Ghanaian English-speaking children aged 5–10 years selected from schools in Tema, Ghana, were assessed using the B-GESLA. Participants completed at least three of the seven B-GESLA subtests: Caregiver’s Questionnaire (language profile and development questionnaire), Following Instructions and Concepts, Expressive Vocabulary, Grammatical Features, Narratives, Nonword/Sentence Repetition, and Speech. A converging evidence approach was used to integrate data related to children’s language exposure and parental concern to identify typical speech and language development among multilingual Ghanaian English-speaking children. Results: Children’s scores on each subtest were sorted into three groups based on their level of exposure to Ghanaian English: (1) GhE as a primary language and exposed from birth (n = 31), (2) GhE as a primary language but not exposed from birth (n = 28), and (3) GhE not a primary language and not exposed from birth (n = 41). Children in groups 1 and 2 were noted to have higher scores across the receptive, expressive, grammar, and narrative subtests. For children in group 3, the “late” exposure and the fact that GhE is not their primary language seemed to have contributed to lower performance and high variability given the different experiences children may have had with GhE. Analysis took into account the numerous factors that impact upon multilingual children’s communication development to assist SLPs in making an informed decision regarding the presence or absence of a communication disorder based on their scores, relative to age and level of language exposure. Conclusion: The B-GESLA is a simple, reliable, and child-friendly assessment tool designed to identify children with speech and language disorders. It offers Ghanaian SLPs a culturally and linguistically relevant assessment for school-age children in Ghana.