A Sociocultural and Interdisciplinary Perspective on the Education of Young Bilingual Children With Disabilities

• In Event: Early Education of Bilingual Children: At the Intersection of Language, Learning, and Disability

Abstract

In this paper, we will discuss theoretical perspectives and empirical research on the development and learning of young bilingual children, both typically developing and those with dis/abilities. We argue that there is a lack of a comprehensive framework describing the development of these children that could guide relevant research questions, appropriate research methods, and interpretation of research findings. We propose a sociocultural, integrative and interdisciplinary perspective to advance knowledge about the development and learning of young bilingual children with dis/abilities, one that considers the contexts of children’s development, their bilingualism, and their dis/ability characteristics. Such an approach requires work at the intersection of language, learning and dis/ability. We assert that research, policy and practice focusing on the development and learning of young bilingual children with dis/abilities requires an interdisciplinary approach involving a reconceptualization of the fields of early development and learning, bilingual education and special education with consideration to the unique characteristics of bilingual children and their sociocultural contexts of development.
The intersectionality among being bilingual in a minoritized language, having a dis/ability, and being from a racial and/or ethnic minoritized group amplifies the impact of marginalization and discrimination of young bilingual children with dis/abilities in the early care and education systems, and society at large. The framework we propose has the goal of promoting equity in the early care and education of young bilingual children with dis/abilities. These children are in a sort of “limbo”, from a theoretical and empirical research perspective, which is reflected in their invisibility in early care and education policies and practices.
The field of early education is still predominantly built on a conceptualization of child and childhoods that do not include or represent the experience of being bilingual in a minoritized situation, with all that is involved in it, culturally and socially. The challenge in the field of bilingual education lies in the emphasis on English language acquisition as a goal, with no support for bilingualism in most bilingual education program types made available to bilingual children, only a small percentage of bilingual children have access to dual language education. In addition, less attention is given to young bilinguals from birth to five years of age. In addition, the research and practice in the field of special education is based on a medical model that sees children with diverse abilities in need of remediation or be normalized, rather than designing environments that facilitate the equal participation of children with dis/abilities. A sociocultural perspective on dis/ability allows practitioners to understand how bilingual children with dis/abilities bring to the classroom varied experiences that are beyond their dis/ability. As a consequence, there are major gaps related to what is known about the development and learning of young bilingual children (birth to age 8) with dis/abilities. Those gaps will need to be addressed in order to inform policies that promote equitable access to high quality early intervention and early care and education for young bilingual children with dis/abilities.

Authors

• Dina C. Castro, Boston University

• Cristina Gillanders, University of Colorado - Denver

• Nydia Prishker, New York University

• Rodolfo Rodriguez, University of North Texas