Perceptions of Narrative Quality in School-Age African American English (AAE) Speakers (On Demand Webinar) (PD102295)
School-based SLPs who work with African American children can feel underprepared to properly evaluate their language abilities. This webinar explores variation in narrative practices common within AAE-speaking communities. The presenters discuss widely held beliefs about narrative language and its variation, how these beliefs affect clinical practice, and insights from research into how we can expand our narrative language assessment practices to be more inclusive of culturally based narrative variation.
Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:
- Identify types of narrative styles and structures typically used in AAE-speaking communities
- Identify three widely held beliefs about narrative language and its variation
- Explain to colleagues, supervisors, and family/caregivers the limitations and culturally specific nature of widely used tests of narration
DEI Professional Development Requirement
This course counts toward the ASHA certification maintenance professional development requirement for DEI (which encompasses cultural competency; cultural humility; culturally responsive practice; and diversity, equity, and inclusion). See more courses that count toward this requirement or read more about professional development requirements for certification maintenance.
What Participants Said:
"It verified my experience in treating people with different race and language culture, styles, and structures in talking."
"I liked that the presenters used real conversations from professionals. I also really appreciated how the presenters addressed questions and comments from the chat. I feel that our experiences and thoughts were valued."
"I appreciate the link of 'poly-dialect' and neurodivergence; essentially, the acceptance of a variety of 'differences' in communication. I also appreciate the discussion on Oral vs. Literacy and the ways in which we have (and show) bias towards a standardized, mono-dialect."
Presenter Information
Monique T. Mills, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at the University of Houston. Her research program employs mixed methods to examine the cognitive, social, and linguistic resources that school-age African American children draw upon to narrate or tell stories. She directs the Child Language Ability Lab, which is currently engaged in projects examining narrative assessment and dialectal code-switching between African American English and Mainstream American English.
Financial Disclosures:
- Full-time associate professor at the University of Houston
- Research funded by an OSU Cross-College Seed Grant
- Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
Nonfinancial Disclosures:
- None
Leslie C. Moore, PhD, is an applied linguist and a linguistic anthropologist whose research examines the social and cultural patterning of learning and language development in communities whose members use multiple languages and participate in multiple learning traditions. Moore currently has two projects concerned with linguistic diversity in educational contexts. For both projects, Moore has collaborated with partners who bring to the work different and complementary expertise and experiences.
Financial Disclosures:
- Full-time associate Professor at Ohio State University
- Research funded by an OSU Cross-College Seed Grant
- Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
Nonfinancial Disclosures:
- None
Assessment Type
Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.
To earn continuing education credit, you must complete the learning assessment by December 23, 2027.
Program History and CE Information
Live webinar date: December 21,
2022
End date: December 23, 2027
This course is offered for 0.2 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level, Professional area).