When assessing young children for early intervention or special education services, practitioners need to be especially sensitive to the multitude of cultural and linguistic variations that exist among children who require assessment and their families. Appropriate procedures need to be in place to determine which language will be used during the assessment process and to ensure that the screening and assessment instruments and procedures being used are appropriate for that child. It is critical to obtain a non-biased picture of the child’s abilities. Interpreters must be available if needed and professionals conducting the assessment should be skilled and knowledgeable about the cultural implications of the assessment process. These and other considerations will help practitioners to determine whether certain patterns of development and behavior are caused by a disability or simply the result of cultural and linguistic differences.

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