Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment™ (BESA™)
Description
Distinguishes between a language impairment or limited language exposure in young Spanish-English bilingual children.
"BESA is the one assessment that I trust to help me make better clinical decisions regarding my bilingual clients' presence of a communication disorder... I believe BESA represents the growing demand for tools that more precisely identify communication disorders in diverse populations."
– SLP
When a young bilingual child experiences language difficulties, it can be difficult to determine if those challenges are due to a disorder, or due to limited exposure to the English language. BESA™ is a valid, reliable assessment that specifically responds to the needs of young Spanish-English bilingual children. BESA™ was developed to:
- Identify phonological and/or language impairment in bilingual children and English language learners using a standardized protocol.
- Differentiate between a delay in English language acquisition and a true language disorder.
- Document children's speech and language strengths and needs.
- Monitor children's progress in both languages and use the information to make decisions about intervention.
For use with children ages 4 - 6 years who have varying degrees of bilingualism. Additional protocols may be purchased below.
BESA At A Glance
What is it? - An assessment developed to identify phonological and/or language impairment in Spanish-English bilingual and ELL children and to differentiate between delays in English language acquisition and true language disorders.
Who is it for? - BESA was developed for bilingual children in the United States. Latino children in the U.S. who speak Spanish, English, or both are eligible for assessment.
Who implements it? - Bilingual speech-language pathologists.
How long does it take? - 1-2 hours to administer all components of BESA, 1 hour per language.
How are subtest scores reported? - Subtest raw scores are reported as scaled scores, standard scores, percentile ranks, and age equivalents.
Is BESA norm-referenced? - Yes. Test norms were derived using data from over 600 bilingual children from across the country.
This Order Includes:
- Administration & Scoring Manual (185 pages)
- Stimulus Plates booklet (2-sided)
- 20 BESA Protocols - English forms
- 20 BESA Protocols - Spanish forms
- 20 Bilingual Input-Output Survey (BIOS) forms
- 20 Instrument to Assess Language Knowledge (ITALK) Survey forms
Additional protocols may be purchased below.
If the SLP isn’t a bilingual English-Spanish speaker, an English-speaking SLP should give the English portions, and a trained bilingual person could give the Spanish portions under the supervision of the SLP.
The 4 uses of BESA
BESA was developed to:
- Identify phonological and/or language impairment in bilingual children and English language learners using a standardized protocol
- Differentiate between a delay in English language acquisition and a true language disorder
- Document children's speech and language strengths and needs
- Monitor children's progress in both languages and use the information to make decisions about intervention
Through a combination of subtests for students and surveys for teachers and parents, BESA reveals the big picture of a young bilingual child's language development. Comprehensive assessment with BESA includes:
- 3 subtests (in both English and Spanish). These three standardized- norm-referenced subtests address the key domains of morphosyntax, semantics, and phonology. The subtests are administered with children one-on-one in a quiet, well-lit, well-ventilated room free of distractions.
- 2 questionnaires. The SLP gathers more information by interviewing both parents and teachers.
- Bilingual Input-Output Survey (BIOS): determines Spanish and English use at home and school and pinpoints which language(s) need testing
- Inventory to Assess Language Knowledge (ITALK):identifies the parent's and teacher's perception of the child's performance in each language and highlights areas of possible concern.
- Pragmatic activity. This 5- to 10-minute warmup activity, in which children are asked to “help wrap a present” with the examiner, is used to establish rapport with the child and give clinicians an idea of how collaborative and interactive the child will be during the rest of the assessment.
- Valid and reliable. There are very few assessment tools for bilingual children and even fewer that are valid and reliable. BESA answers the call for a bilingual assessment backed up with solid evidence of validity and reliability.
- Culturally and linguistically appropriate. BESA subtests are different for each language; the Spanish subtest isn't just a translation of the English one. Dialects were taken into consideration—the norming sample included 17 Spanish dialects and 7 regional dialects for English—and items were developed for each language based on the markers, structure, and culture of that language.
- Uncovers the full picture of a child's language development. Not only does BESA identify language impairments, it also helps you gauge progress in both languages and document a child's dominant language across different domains of speech and language. This critical information will help you plan interventions and educational programming for bilingual children.
- Flexible and convenient. You can use each BESA component independently or combine them as part of an assessment battery. Choose which component you want to give—you're not required to administer both the English and Spanish subtests. BESA can also be given over multiple sessions, so you can easily fit it into your schedule.
Additional BESA Protocols & Forms For Purchase
Additional Photos
What's Included
- Administration & Scoring Manual (185 pages)
- Stimulus Plates booklet (2-sided)
- 20 BESA Protocols - English forms
- 20 BESA Protocols - Spanish forms
- 20 Bilingual Input-Output Survey (BIOS) forms
- 20 Instrument to Assess Language Knowledge (ITALK) Survey forms
Target Audience
Author
BESA Created By:
- Elizabeth D. Peña, PhD, CCC-SLP
- Vera F. Gutiérrez-Clellen, PhD, CCC-SLP
- Aquiles Iglesias, PhD, CCC-SLP
- Brian A. Goldstein, PhD, CCC-SLP
- Lisa M. Bedore, PhD, CCC-SLP
Customer Reviews
"I definitely recommend the BESA! It also includes parent and teacher input in language use and knowledge for both languages." – SLP
"Just got the BESA and find it very relevant!!! Thank you!" – SLP
"I love it and prefer it over the PLS. It's much easier to administer and quicker." – SLP
"I love the BESA." – SLP
"It has strong diagnostic accuracy stats." – SLP
"I highly recommend the BESA to any speech-language pathologist who works with bilingual populations. The BESA is the one assessment that I trust to help me make better clinical decisions regarding my bilingual clients' presence of a communication disorder... I believe the BESA represents the growing demand for tools that more precisely identify communication disorders in diverse populations. I am exultant to know the BESA is currently available!" – SLP
"Measures, like the Bilingual English–Spanish Assessment (BESA), are critically needed to comprehensively examine the language development of bilingual preschoolers. I commend the authors for the rigorous research undertaken to produce such an important measure for the field and, most importantly, for young bilingual children." – SLP
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