Potential language impairment in a Vietnamese-English bilingual child: insights from narrative analysis.

Abstract

We performed a retrospective analysis of the narrative performance of a Vietnamese-English Language Learner who was struggling academically. We analyzed narrative samples in both English and Vietnamese for several variables that have been found to differentiate between children with language learning impairment (LLI) and their typically developing (TD) peers. Narratives were collected in both Vietnamese and English at two time points, separated by a one-year interval. We then compared these variables to those extracted from narrative samples collected from two TD peers matched to the struggling learner by age, gender, and language background. By comparing the performance in these variables, we explored the possibility that our struggling learner has LLI.