Communication Disorders in Spanish Speakers

José G. Centeno, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Program at St. John’s University, New York City. He has worked extensively as a bilingual speech-language pathologist and published on bilingualism issues in Spanish-English bilinguals in the U.S. and on stroke-related language impairments in monolingual Spanish speakers. His current research and professional interests focus on stroke-related impairments and aspects of service delivery in monolingual Spanish/bilingual Spanish-English adults.Raquel T. Anderson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. She has worked with both monolingual Spanish and bilingual English-Spanish preschool and early elementary school children with language learning disorders. She has published in the areas of language impairment in Spanish-speaking children, with a special focus on children with specific language impairment (SLI). Her current research is in first language loss and grammatical skill in bilingual Spanish-English speaking children with SLI.Loraine K. Obler, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor in the Programs in Speech and Hearing Sciences and Linguistics at the City University of New York Graduate Center. She began publishing on bilingualism and the brain in 1977. Her books include The Bilingual Brain: Neuropsychological and Neurolinguistic Aspects of Bilingualism (with Martin Albert), Language and the Brain (with Kris Gjerlow), Bilingualism Across the Lifespan: Acquisition, Maturity and Loss (with Kenneth Hyltenstam), and Agrammatic Aphasia: A Cross-language Narrative Sourcebook (with Lise Menn). Her current research interests include L2 performance under stress, L2 acquisition by talented/limited language learners, and aphasia therapy for bilinguals.

To say that this book is welcomed is without a doubt an understatement. Apparently, from the book’s earliest beginnings, Drs. Centeno, Anderson and Obler chose to focus on the big picture, selecting their contributors to include impressive sampling of the best researchers and thinkers in the field. They have been successful in producing a true Sourcebook, which deserves the attention of anyone who is serious about understanding the special strengths and problems facing language and speech disordered Spanish speakers. This is monumental and desperately needed achievement.

• IntroductionPart I Preliminary Considerations1. Contrastive Analysis between Spanish and English – R.T. Anderson and J. G. Centeno2. English Language Learners: Literacy and Biliteracy Considerations – H. Kayser and J. G. Centeno3. Bilingual Development and Communication – J. G. Centeno4. Neurolinguistic Aspects of Bilingualism – M. R. Gitterman and H. Datta5. Sociocultural, Societal, and Psychological Aspects of Bilingualism – A. Z. Brozgold and J. G. Centeno6. Cross-linguistic Research: The Convergence of Monolingual and Bilingual Data – R. T. Anderson7. The Cognitive Neuropsychology of Language Disorders among Spanish Speakers – B. Stuart Weekes8. Ethical and Methodological Considerations in Clinical Communication Research with Hispanic Populations – J.G. Centeno and W. GingerichPart II Research in Children: Conceptual, Methodological, Empirical, and Clinical Considerations9. Exploring the Grammar of Spanish-speaking Children with Specific Language Impairment – R. T. Anderson10. Language Elicitation and Analysis as a Research and Clinical Tool for Latino Children – M. Adelaida Restrepo and A. P. Castilla11. Utterance Length Measures for Spanish-speaking Toddlers - D. Jackson-Maldonado and B.T. Conboy12. Lexical Skills in Young Children Learning a Second Language - K. Kohnert and Pui Fong Kan13. Measuring Phonological Skills in Bilingual Children – B. A. GoldsteinPart III Research in Adults: Empirical Evidence and Clinical Implications14. Prepositional Processing in Spanish Speakers with Aphasia – B. A. Reyes15. Cohesion in the Conversational Samples of Broca’s Aphasic Individuals – L. G. Pietrosemoli16. Language Switching in the Context of Spanish-English Bilingual Aphasia – A.I. Ansaldo and K. Marcotte17. Description and Detection of Acquired Dyslexia and Dysgraphia in Spanish - I. Carolina Iribarren18. Crosslinguistic Aspects of Dyslexia in Spanish-English Bilinguals – E. Ijalba and L. K. Obler19. Neuropsychological Profile of Adult Illiterates and the Development and Application of a Neuropsychological Program for Learning to Read – F. Ostrosky-Solís, A. Lozano, M. J. Ramírez, and A. Ardila20. Phonetic Descriptions of Speech Production in Bilingual Speakers – F. Bell-BertiEpilogue – L. K. Obler