Working with Internationally Adopted Children

Note: Internally adopted children are not the same as bilingual children. International adoptees do not typically maintain their first language. Typically, families are not able to maintain their first language.

ASHA Policy Documents

• Clinical Management of Communicatively Handicapped Minority Language Populations
• Cultural Competence in Professional Service Delivery
• Position Statement
• Professional Issues Statement

The ASHA Leader Articles

• Speech and Language "Mythbusters" for Internationally Adopted Children
• Return to a Chinese Orphanage: Collaboration Helps Children with Communication Disorders

Additional Resources

• ASHA's website Phonemic Inventories Across Languages
• ASHA's website Useful Websites for Additional Information
• ASHA's SIG (Special Interest Group) Perspectives Newsletter Articles
• Language Loss in Internationally Adopted Children [PDF]
• International Adoption Speech and Language Mythbusters [PDF]
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration With Internationally Adopted Children [PDF]
• Speech and Language in Children Adopted Internationally at Older Ages [PDF]
• Language Development of Internationally Adopted Children: The School-Age Years [PDF]
• Towson University's website Language Development in Internationally Adopted Children [PDF]

Consumer Information

Speech and Language Development in International Adoptees brochure