Creating Translanguaging Classrooms and Therapy Rooms
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Why ESL Doesn’t Fit: What Parents of Internationally Adopted Children Need to Know About Language Support
During my recent webinar, Navigating Language Development of Older International Adoptees (April 3, 2025), hosted by Holt International, one of the most frequently asked questions from parents was:
“Why shouldn’t my internationally adopted child attend ESL classes?”
It’s a reasonable question—and one I hear often from well-meaning parents and educators who want to ensure their adopted children receive the support they need. But this question also reveals a widespread misunderstanding about the language needs of post-institutionalized internationally adopted children.
This blog post is my response to that conversation—written for families, educators, and professionals who want to better understand why ESL services are not appropriate for internationally adopted children, and what to do instead.
If you weren’t able to attend the webinar live, the full recording will be available through Holt International’s educational webinar series. You can find it on their website HERE.
Let’s unpack why ESL isn’t the right fit—and what kinds of support internationally adopted children actually need to thrive.
Myth: “My child isn’t fluent in English, so ESL must help.”
Reality: Internationally adopted children are not bilingual learners.
Most ESL programs are designed for children who still use their native language at home and gradually acquire English in school. These kids are developing two languages at once and benefit from strategies that build on both.
But internationally adopted children? They experience something very different.
According to Gindis (2005; 2008), children adopted between ages 4–7 lose their birth language within just a few months of arriving in their new home. They’re immersed in English almost immediately—and their native language is rarely maintained because most adoptive families are monolingual.
So, they’re not truly bilingual. But they’re also not fully fluent in English yet. They’re in a unique in-between state that ESL programs aren’t designed to address.
ESL programs don’t target what IA children actually need
While ESL helps students bridge language barriers tied to cultural and home-language continuity, IA children are dealing with something else entirely: language deprivation and language loss.
Many older adoptees spent years in institutions with:
- Minimal one-on-one interaction
- Low language stimulation
- Unaddressed medical or developmental concerns
This means they’re not just “behind in English”—they often have underlying language delays or disorders that impact comprehension, expression, and even literacy (Scott, Roberts & Glennen, 2011; Desmarais, et al, 2012; Kornilov et al., 2019).
They sound fluent… but can’t keep up academically
A major source of confusion is that many IA kids sound great conversationally. They can talk about their favorite games, pets, or foods. But when it comes to classroom work—reading comprehension, writing essays, understanding abstract language—they start to struggle.
This happens because they develop Communicative Language Fluency (CLF) quickly—but take years to develop Cognitive Language Mastery (CLM), which is necessary for school success (Gindis, 2005).
So even if they “sound fluent,” they may:
- Misunderstand instructions
- Struggle with academic vocabulary
- Fall behind in reading and writing
- Feel overwhelmed and shut down in class
These are not second-language issues. They are language development issues that require specialized intervention.
So what should you do?
Instead of agreeing to an ESL placement, here’s how you can better support your child:
- Get a comprehensive speech-language evaluation—especially if your child had speech or language delays in their birth country, or came from an institutional background.
- Ask about school-based speech services—not ESL. Many IA children qualify under criteria for language disorders rather than language differences.
- Advocate for academic support that targets vocabulary, inferencing, grammar, and literacy.
- Monitor progress over time—some delays won’t show up until years later, especially as school demands increase (Glennen, 2009).
- Be aware of trauma and sensory history—many IA children also have social, emotional, and attentional challenges that impact language.
Bottom line
Your child may not need ESL. But they do need support.
If your internationally adopted child is struggling in school—even if they speak English well—don’t accept a “wait and see” approach. Push for a full language evaluation. Ask for help from a speech-language pathologist who understands adoption, trauma, and language loss. And most of all, trust your instincts.
Because these kids don’t just need English—they need someone who gets the whole picture.
References
- Desmarais, C., Roeber, B. J., Smith, M. E., & Pollak, S. D. (2012). Sentence comprehension in postinstitutionalized school-age children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 55, 45–54.
- Elleseff, T. (2025, April 3). Navigating language development of older international adoptees [Webinar presentation]. Holt International.
- Gindis, B. (2005). Cognitive, language, and educational issues of children adopted from overseas orphanages. Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 4, 290–315.
- Gindis, B. (2008). Abrupt native language loss in international adoptees. Advance Healthcare Network for Speech/Language Pathologists and Audiologists, 18(51), 5.
- Glennen, S. (2009). Speech and language guidelines for children adopted from abroad at older ages. Topics in Language Disorders, 29(1), 50–64.
- Kornilov, S. A., Zhukova, M. A., Ovchinnikova, I. V., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2019). Language outcomes in adults with a history of institutionalization: Behavioral and neurophysiological characterization. Scientific Reports, 9, 4252.
- Scott, K. A., Roberts, J. A., & Glennen, S. (2011). How well do children who are internationally adopted acquire language? A meta-analysis. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 54(4), 1153–1169.
Spotlight on Syndromes: An SPLs Perspective on Monosomy 13q Syndrome
Today’s guest post on Monosomy 13q Syndrome is brought to you by the ever talented Maria Del Duca, M.S. CCC-SLP of Communication Station: Speech Therapy, PLLC, located in southern Arizona.
Overview: Also known as “13q Deletion Syndrome”, this is a chromosomal disorder that results in intellectual disabilities as well as congenital malformations of the skeleton, heart, brain and eyes. The causes of this syndrome can be hereditary or non-hereditary. When the long arm of chromosome 13 (labeled “q”) is missing/deleted or when both parts of chromosome 13 have been lost/deleted and have reconnected to form a ring (called “ring chromosome 13”), and the genetic mutation occurs before conception, during formation of the egg and sperm (gametes), this results in “monosomy 13q” (non-hereditary genetic mutation). However, there are times the cause is due to a parent carrier who passed down an inverted or translocated chromosome to the child subsequently resulting in a hereditary etiology. Risk of 13q Deletion Syndrome to occur in subsequent pregnancies is very low. If mother is the carrier, the risk is 10-15% and if the father is the carrier the risk is 2-4%. Continue reading Spotlight on Syndromes: An SPLs Perspective on Monosomy 13q Syndrome
New Products for the 2017 Academic School Year for SLPs
September is quickly approaching and school-based speech language pathologists (SLPs) are preparing to go back to work. Many of them are looking to update their arsenal of speech and language materials for the upcoming academic school year.
With that in mind, I wanted to update my readers regarding all the new products I have recently created with a focus on assessment and treatment in speech language pathology. Continue reading New Products for the 2017 Academic School Year for SLPs
Test Review: (OPUS) Oral Passage Understanding Scale
Today I am reviewing a listening comprehension assessment for students 5-21 years of age, entitled the Oral Passage Understanding Scale (OPUS) created by Elizabeth Carrow-Woolfolk, PhD, and Amber M. Klein, PhD, which is available via WPS.
The OPUS is a test of listening comprehension which assesses the following forms of knowledge: lexical/semantic (knowledge and use of words and word combinations), syntactic (knowledge and use of grammar, as well as supralinguistic (knowledge and use of indirect/complex language). Continue reading Test Review: (OPUS) Oral Passage Understanding Scale
Fun and Educational Summer Board Games: Recommendations for SLPs and Parents
According to the New York Times Article which summarized the results of Johns Hopkins University study: A TYPICAL STUDENT WILL LOSE ABOUT ONE MONTH OF LEARNING OVER THE SUMMER TIME.
“More troubling is that it disproportionately affects low-income students: they lose two months of reading skills, while their higher-income peers — whose parents can send them to enriching camps, take them on educational vacations and surround them with books during the summer — make slight gains.” To continue: “the study of students in Baltimore found that about two-thirds of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income ninth graders could be explained by summer learning loss during the elementary school years.”
BUMMER!
But then again it is summer and kids do want to have fun!
So with the recent heatwaves across the country, how about combining fun with learning on those sweltering summer days when lazing at the pool or going outside may not be the best option.
Let’s take a look at the few common and readily available board games, which can be used to improve various language abilities: including vocabulary knowledge, problem solving, questioning, storytelling as well as other language related skills.
A to Z Jr– a game of early categorizations is recommended for players 5 – 10 years of age, but can be used with older children depending on their knowledge base. The object of the game is to cover all letters on your letter board by calling out words in specific categories before the timer runs out. This game can be used to increase word finding abilities in children with weak language skills as the categories range from simple (e.g., basic concepts) to more complicated (e.,. attributes). This game is great for several players of different age groups, since younger children or children with weaker knowledge and language skills can answer simpler questions and learn the answers to the harder questions as other players get their turn.
Tribond Jr – is another great game which purpose is to determine how 3 seemingly random items are related to one another. Good for older children 7-12 years of age it’s also great for problem solving and reasoning as some of the answers are not so straight forward (e.g., what do the clock, orange and circle have in common? Psst…they are all round)
Password Jr-is a great game to develop the skills of description. In the game you guess passwords based on the one word clues. This game is designed to play with children ages 7 years and older as long as you help the non readers with the cards. It’s great for encouraging children to become both better at describing and at listening. You may want to allow the children to select the word they want to describe in order to boost their confidence in own abilities. Provide visual cheat sheets (listing ways we can describe something such as: what does it do, where does it go, how can we use it etc) to the child as they will be much more likely to provide more complete descriptions of the target words given visual cues.
Blurt – a game for children 10 and up is a game that works on a simple premise. Blurt out as many answers as you can in order to guess what the word is. Blurt provides ready-made definitions that you read off to players so they could start guessing what the word is. Players and teams use squares on the board strategically to advance by competing in various definition challenges that increase language opportunities.
Games the facilitate asking questions: 
Guess Who (age 6+), 
Guess Where (age 6+), and Mystery Garden (age 4+) are great for encouraging students to ask relevant questions in order to be the first to win the game. They are also terrific for encouraging reasoning skills. Questions have to be thought through carefully in order to be the first one to win the game.
Game that facilitates Story Telling as well as Perspective Taking: Fib or Not (ages 10+) encourages the players to fool other players by either telling an outlandish true story or a truly believable made up story. For the players who are listening to the story, the objective is to correctly guess if the story teller is fibbing or being truthful. Players advance by fooling the other players or by guessing correctly.
Games that improve verbal reasoning and problem solving abilities: 30 Second Mysteries (ages 8-12) and 20 Questions for Kids (ages 7+).
In 30 Second Mysteries kids need to use critical thinking and deductive reasoning in order to solve mysteriously sounding cases of everyday events. Each clue read aloud reveals more about the mystery and the trick is to solve it given the fewest number of clues in order to gain the most points.
In 20 Questions for Kids, a guessing game of people, places, and things. Children need to generate original questions in order to obtain information. Here again, each clue read aloud reveals more about the secret identity and the trick is to solve it given the fewest number of clues.
Now that you know which games to play and why, how about you give it a try.
Have fun playing!
References:
Smink, J (2011) This is Your Brain on Summer. New York Times: The Opinion Pages. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/opinion/28smink.html?_r=1
Russian Articulation Screener
Why is FASD diagnosis so important?
Recently, I’ve participated in various on-line and in-person discussions with both school-based speech language pathologists (SLPs) as well as medical health professionals (e.g., neurologists, pediatricians, etc.) regarding their views on the need of formal diagnosis for school aged children with suspected alcohol related deficits. While their responses differed considerably from: “we do not base intervention on diagnosis, but rather on demonstrated student need” to “with a diagnosis of ASD ‘these children’ would get the same level of services“, the message I was receiving loud and clear was: “Why? What would be the point?” So today I decided to share my views on this matter and explain why I think the diagnosis matters.
Continue reading Why is FASD diagnosis so important?
FASD and Background History Collection: Asking the Right Questions
Note: This article was originally published in August 2013 Issue of Adoption Today Magazine (pp. 32-35).
Sometime ago, I interviewed the grandmother of an at-risk 11 year old child in kinship care, whose language abilities I have been asked to assess in order to determine whether he required speech-language therapy services. The child was attending an outpatient school program in a psychiatric hospital where I worked and his psychiatrist was significantly concerned regarding his listening comprehension abilities as well as social pragmatic skills. Continue reading FASD and Background History Collection: Asking the Right Questions
Birthday Giveaway Day Twelve: Columbus Day Explorer Freebie
What better way to celebrate a birthday than to get presents? Well here’s a fun little present Maria of Communication Station: Speech Therapy has cooked up just in time for Columbus Day. For those of you who follow her new and improved blog, Communication Station: Speech Therapy you know how much she loves to use thematic units to support communication development.
She’s done examples of how she creates thematic therapy units for younger children but haven’t shared anything for older students until today.
This packet is perfect for students in the upper elementary grades, middle school, and depending on cognitive level and communication goals, possibly some high school students as well.
It includes background knowledge/post learning worksheet where students have the opportunity to share what they already know, want to learn, and have learned after either doing their own research or reading the short story enclosed in the packet.
Along with the short story there is a comprehension questions worksheet that students can independently complete or complete as a group.
Next is a vocabulary synonyms match-up sheet that can be used to pre-teach vocabulary (note: vocabulary words highlighted in red in the short story), teach while reading using context clues, or post teach/review. Again this sheet can be completed independently on in a group.
Following this sheet, there is a writing prompt in which your students will be given the opportunity to use some creative thinking and reasoning skills to write a narrative about exploration. In addition, there is a guided questions sheet for younger students or students who have difficulty organizing their thoughts.
Finally, enclosed in this packet are 10 true/false cards. Each statement is about explorers and their role in history. Weather the facts are true or false they are followed by additional information your students can learn regarding each topic.
You can grab your free copy of this packet here! Be advised of Communication Station terms of use: the packet is for personal use only, redistribution of it is strictly prohibited. Feel free to direct your friends to her site for their free copy as well.
Enjoy and happy talking and exploring!
Maria Del Duca, M.S. CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist in southern, Arizona. She owns a private practice, Communication Station: Speech Therapy, PLLC, and has a speech and language blog under the same name. Maria writes a monthly column on all topics related to child development, titled Kid Confidential, on the American Speech-Language and Hearing Associations blog, ASHAspere. She has experience in various settings such as private practice, hospital and school environments and has practiced speech pathology in NJ, MD, KS and now AZ. Maria has a passion for early childhood, autism spectrum disorders, rare syndromes, and childhood Apraxia of speech. For more information, visit her blog or find her on Facebook.