Code switching: A bridge or barrier between two languages?

Communication in English can be a barrier for second language learners since English serves both as a content subject and also as the means of instruction in classrooms. The issue is compounded when speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide services to students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) homes who may be suspected of a communicative disorder. As a result, large numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse children with disabilities and their families are underserved, overserved, or misdiagnosed. Exposing a recent study of one classroom in one school located in southwestern Minnesota, this article performs a dual service of providing information on code switching used by culturally and linguistically diverse students, and information on the usefulness of this in the planning and management of communication problems with this population in academic settings.