Presenter: Gloria Maccow, PhD, HSP-P

The approximately 4.6 million culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in US schools face a unique set of challenges. They must navigate everyday conversations, develop proficiency in the cognitive academic language that will enable them to understand curriculum content in English, and achieve the same academic standards that all students are expected to meet.

To meet content and achievement standards, some CLD students require specialized instruction because of an identified disability. When cognitive ability is among the defining characteristics for a disability category, it is important to consider the non-cognitive factors that can affect the performance of CLD students on cognitive tests. This one-hour webinar will describe cultural and linguistic factors clinicians must consider when assessing cognitive abilities of CLD students. The presenter will use examples from work with young children, but the information shared during the presentation will be applicable to bilingual and multi-lingual individuals of all ages.