Overview
The HESP Bilingual Certification Program is a clinical preparation program for emerging bilingual speech-language pathologists.
The core objective of the program is to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to become qualified bilingual services providers, by meeting the criteria set forth by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
ASHA requires all speech-language pathologists serving as bilingual service providers to demonstrate native or near-native language proficiency in their client’s language, as well as essential bilingual clinical skills.
As of 2020, qualified bilingual service providers make up only about 8% of ASHA members, in spite of the very large and growing client population in need of services.
The HESP Bilingual Certification Program offers a means by which graduate students in the Speech-Language Pathology master’s program would be able to acquire the requisite knowledge and skills to work with these populations. Students will acquire knowledge relating to standards, protocols, diagnostic methods, treatment approaches, and current trends in the area of bilingual speech-language pathology. The Bilingual Certification Program is intended for speakers of a variety of languages, and is not language-specific. If you have any questions about the program, please contact José Ortiz.
Admission Requirements
Those who wish to apply to the Bilingual Certification Program should indicate this in their statement of purpose that is part of their application to the master’s program. All students who are members of the incoming class will then receive an application for the Bilingual Certification Program via email. This typically occurs in the summer before your first semester of graduate study. Applications will be reviewed and a decision will be made before the start of the semester.
Language Proficiency on Admission
Students are required to specify a target language and are required to demonstrate intermediate-advanced proficiency in that language. As part of the application to the Bilingual Certification Program, students must submit evidence of language proficiency. This includes any of the following:
academic transcripts demonstrating successful completion of advanced foreign language coursework (high school and college),
a passing grade on a language proficiency examination, or
a written statement of language exposure.
Once enrolled, all students are required to pass a language proficiency examination, the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview.
Curriculum
Students enrolled in the Bilingual Certification Program are required to take specific coursework in order to meet the requirements of the program, in addition to all courses required in the master’s program.
HESP 605 (Assessment & Intervention in Bilingual Populations; offered during summer) and HESP 617 (Cultural & Linguistic Diversity; offered during winter) are required for students enrolled in the Bilingual Certification Program.
HESP 617 may be offered in the summer of the 2nd year of graduate study if they have not already been completed as electives in prior semesters.
Clinical practicum courses (HESP 648 and HESP 728) are already required by students in their master’s program, but those enrolled in the Bilingual Certification Program will be required to participate in clinical activities that necessitate providing services in their target language. Students will be given the opportunity to provide services to bilingual clients during both their on-campus and off-campus clinical experiences.
Either the first or second semester of HESP728 will be utilized for the clinical clock hour requirement in the target language. The specific sequence will be determined by the clinical placement coordinator.
Note: All efforts will be made to find students an appropriate off-campus placement site that provides a sufficient opportunity to work with their target population, though this may be very challenging with some languages. In instances where resources are not available to provide a student with this opportunity, acceptance into and successful completion of the program will depend on the student and faculty jointly developing a solution; this may include non-local placement, etc.
Learning Outcomes
The coursework for this program is intended to provide a strong knowledge-base in a set of core competency areas. The following are the intended learning outcomes of this program:
Students will demonstrate the ability to diagnose communication disorders in both bilingual and monolingual speakers of a language other than English. This includes the ability to distinguish between a language difference and a language disorder.
Students will effectively apply intervention strategies for treatment of communication disorders in the language or mode of communication most appropriate for the needs of the individual, taking into account cultural practices.
Students will demonstrate knowledge about current issues in cultural and linguistic diversity in the field of speech-language pathology, and current best practices.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the social and cognitive processes underlying bilingualism and bilingual language development, and the application to clinical practice.
ASHA Standard
In order to meet the definition of the requirements of becoming a qualified bilingual service provider, the Bilingual Certification Program will adhere to the standards outlined by ASHA, which states that bilingual service providers meet the following requirements:
Students will demonstrate the ability to diagnose communication disorders in both bilingual and monolingual speakers of a language other than English. This includes the ability to distinguish between a language difference and a language disorder.
Students will effectively apply intervention strategies for the treatment of communication disorders in the language or mode of communication most appropriate for the needs of the individual, taking into account cultural practices as well.
Students will demonstrate knowledge about issues in cultural and linguistic diversity in the field of speech-language pathology, and current best practices.
Speak their primary language and speak (or sign) at least one other language with native or near-native proficiency in the lexicon (vocabulary), semantics (meaning), phonology (pronunciation), morphology/syntax (grammar), and pragmatics (uses) during clinical management.
Possess the specific knowledge and skillsets necessary for the services to be delivered.
Demonstrate the ability to independently provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services for speech, language, cognitive, voice, and swallowing disorders using the client’s/patient’s language and preferred mode of communication.
Possess the linguistic proficiency to:
Describe the process of normal speech and language acquisition—for both bilingual and monolingual speakers of that language, including how those processes are manifested in oral and written language (or manually coded languages when applicable).
Select, administer, and interpret formal and informal assessment procedures to distinguish between communication differences and communication disorders.
Apply intervention strategies for the treatment of communication disorders in the language or mode of communication most appropriate for the needs of the individual.
If you are interested in acquiring a Certificate in Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology after you graduate, please check out our Post-Master's Certificate in Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology!
More about the program: