Prácticas en logopedia infantil en entornos bilingües y multilingües. Recomendaciones basadas en la evidencia

Some children who grow up in environments in which there is the opportunity to learn more than one language may, at some point in their development, need the support of speech and language professionals. The present paper by the Expert Committee on Multilingualism and Multiculturalism of the Spanish and Ibero-American Association of Speech and Language Therapy (AELFA-IF) provides evidence-based recommendations for speech and language therapy practices that facilitate children's ability to exercise their right to their cultural identity and the use of their language(s) (United Nations, 1989). These recommendations are based on a dynamic conceptualization of bilingualism/multilingualism that is centred on the person and his or her environment, and use a cross-cultural, transdisciplinary and functional approach to providing learning opportunities for speech and language professionals. Based on the results of research on the linguistic-communicative development of bilingual/multilingual children with and without speech/language and communication disorders, tools for developing speech/language assessment methods and intervention from a functional-linguistic perspective are proposed. These include suggestions for conducting interviews and using direct and indirect evaluation instruments to assess the bilingual environment, as well as the use of cross-linguistic and functional evaluation methods, in close collaboration with families, schools and other support professionals, such as interpreters. Finally, the paper outlines the need for continuous training in professional competencies, such as interpersonal skills, needed for working with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.