Consultation in Educational Settings with Second Language Learners

One byproduct of the technological advances that have given rise to the global sense of community is the increased frequency with which people from different countries and cultures come together for social interaction. Societies that remain without the influence of others beyond their borders have all but disappeared and the world has become, to a great extent, a meeting place where all people can have a voice. Cultural isolation is now viewed as an antiquated idea that has been rendered virtually nonexistent. As noted by Ortiz and Seymour (The culturally competent school psychologist, in Terjesen MT, Thielking M (eds) The Australian handbook of school psychology, Springer Books, pp 81–110, 2017), “The natural consequence of bringing people together in one manner or another is an increase in the diversity of populations that heretofore had remained relatively homogenous. Yet with all the positive aspects that diversity brings with it, there are challenges that accompany it as well. Perhaps no other social institution has felt the impact of this change more so than the educational system” (p. 81). Given the prominence, salience, and necessity of language in the delivery of instruction of any type, students identified as SLLs bring unique and important challenges to the consultation process. Regardless of the consultation model that is implemented, a lack of understanding of the manner in which language interacts with cognitive and academic development will likely undermine efforts to provide services that are effective and appropriate. The focus of this chapter is to provide readers with an adequate understanding of these issues that can be used subsequently as the foundations upon which consultation services can be rendered in a way that is responsive to the needs of SLLs.