A bilingual speech and language evaluation can bring a lot of clarity, but the days afterward often raise a new set of questions: What exactly happens next, and what should you do with what you just learned?
This guide walks you through what typically happens after a bilingual speech and language evaluation at Children’s Minnesota, and how to turn the results into practical next steps at home, in therapy, and at school.
I’ll cover what you can expect immediately after the visit, what the written report usually includes, the most common outcomes, and the questions that help you leave with a plan you can actually use.
Quick Answer
A bilingual speech and language evaluation at Children’s Minnesota, in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Program, lasts about 60 minutes. The speech-language pathologist uses standardized testing, dynamic assessment, and informal measures in each language your child speaks, with trained interpreters or Spanish-English bilingual therapists available.
At the end of the session, you should expect an initial verbal summary of results and recommendations. Your family will receive a written report after the clinician completes scoring and documentation.
To keep the visit moving smoothly, bring what you already have, such as previous evaluations (including an IEP or IFSP) and any recent hearing test results. Children’s Minnesota also recommends bringing a completed speech-language intake packet if you have it available.
Call 612-813-8700 to schedule an appointment.
Key Takeaways
You should leave a bilingual assessment with three things: clarity on what the results mean in both languages, a written report you can share with other teams, and a concrete follow-up plan.
- Get the bottom line: Ask whether findings look like a bilingual difference, a disorder, or a “monitor and recheck” situation.
- Confirm the language plan: Make sure the report names which language or languages will be supported in therapy, school, and home routines.
- Ask for the report timeline: If you have an upcoming school meeting, tell the SLP right away so you can plan around it.
- Keep the home language going: This protects family connection and often supports school learning too.
- Know your resources: Your SLP may recommend bilingual therapy resources like Colorín Colorado, plus interpreter services through Children’s Minnesota.
- Take the next step: Call 612-813-8700 if you need therapy scheduling or follow-up support.
What Happens Immediately After the Evaluation?
Right after the session, the speech-language pathologist reviews what they observed across both languages, then explains what it likely means for your child’s language development and communication skills.
Some scoring and analysis happens after you leave, especially when the clinician needs to document test modifications, compare patterns across languages, or review language samples in more detail.
The speech-language pathologist reviews the findings
The clinician pulls together several data sources, not just test scores. That often includes medical and developmental history, caregiver interview, play-based observations, conversation samples, and standardized testing results.
A strong bilingual evaluation also looks for patterns across languages, like whether the same type of breakdown shows up in both languages, or whether the concern appears only in the newer language.
If your child code-mixes (uses words or grammar from both languages) or is quiet at school, the SLP will note whether this fits typical bilingualism patterns. In Children’s Minnesota’s own bilingual education materials, they describe a school-start “silent period” that can last several months and often fades within the first year of school.
Findings reflect both languages, family context, and how your child uses speech and language.
Additional scoring and analysis may be needed
Some parts of a bilingual assessment take longer to interpret because the clinician may need to document exactly how tasks were adapted and how interpreter support was used.
Here are common behind-the-scenes steps that can happen after the appointment:
- Scoring and re-checking standardized testing, especially when tasks were repeated in more than one language.
- Reviewing language samples to look at vocabulary, grammar, story retells, and speech sound patterns in real conversation.
- Comparing dialect and language influence so differences are not mislabeled as language disorders.
- Consulting bilingual assessment guidance to reduce cultural or linguistic bias.
When you can expect the written evaluation report
Your speech-language pathologist (SLP) should tell you the expected report timeline before you leave. The report is shared after all scoring and documentation are complete.
If your child needs school supports soon, ask the SLP to note that on the plan. You can also ask what the fastest safe option is, for example, a brief interim summary for your school team while the full written document is being finalized.
In school settings, federal law expects evaluations to be non-discriminatory and conducted in the student’s native language or other mode of communication when feasible. That same standard helps guide how outside clinic reports get used by school teams.
Understanding Your Child’s Evaluation Results
Your written report should explain what your child did well, what was hard, and what that means for bilingual language development, not just English performance.
You may see references to tools and education resources like The Informed SLP and the Stuttering Foundation, along with clear next steps you can act on.
What the report will typically include
Most bilingual evaluation reports include background details (medical history, developmental milestones, and language history) plus a summary of how much exposure your child has had to each language.
You should also see a clear list of what was used during testing, such as standardized testing, informal probes, and language samples, including any accommodations or deviations from standard procedures.
Many clinicians also include results by area, so you can quickly find what matters most to you:
- Speech sounds (articulation and phonology)
- Language (understanding and using words, grammar, and sentences)
- Fluency (stuttering or cluttering patterns)
- Pragmatics (social communication skills, when relevant)
If your child is Spanish-English bilingual and the clinician needs a test designed to separate difference or disorder, one commonly used option is the Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment (BESA), which is designed for children ages 4 through 6 years.
How strengths and challenges are identified
A careful bilingual evaluation does not treat English as the only target. Instead, the clinician looks for a pattern that makes sense given language dominance, language proficiency, and how long your child has had meaningful exposure to each language.
A practical rule many teams use is this: if a skill breaks down in both languages in a similar way, that can point to a language impairment. If the challenge shows up mainly in the newer language and matches limited exposure, it may be a language difference.
To make this easier to picture, here’s a simple comparison you can use while reading the report:
| What you see | Often points toward | What you do next |
|---|---|---|
| Skills are solid in the home language, weaker mainly in English | Language influence or limited exposure (difference) | Support both languages, monitor at school, ask about classroom scaffolds |
| Similar weaknesses show up across both languages | Possible speech or language disorder | Discuss therapy goals, referral needs, and how progress will be measured |
| Performance varies a lot by setting (talks at home, shuts down at school) | May need screening for selective mutism, anxiety, or situational factors | Ask whether the team recommends behavioral health input or school supports |
Why bilingual development is considered when interpreting results
In bilinguistics, clinicians look at the whole language system, not just how closely your child matches Standard American English. That matters because bilingual children can show normal patterns that look like “errors” if you only compare them to monolingual English norms.
Typical bilingual patterns can include code-mixing and a temporary silent period when a child enters a new language environment. Children’s Minnesota notes that this school-start silent period can last several months and often fades after the first year of school.
Evaluators also consider dialects and community language patterns, including African American English and Appalachian English, and home languages common in Minnesota communities such as Hmong and Somali.
Questions to ask if anything is unclear
If any part of the report feels confusing, ask for plain-language explanations, then ask for the same point in writing. You want clarity you can share with a teacher, pediatrician, or family member.
- Which measures were used in each language, and what modifications were made?
- How did you determine language dominance and language proficiency?
- What evidence supports “difference” versus “disorder” for my child?
- Do you see any signs that suggest selective mutism, attention concerns, dyslexia risk, or trauma-related behaviors that could affect testing?
- What should we do at home this month, and what should we stop doing because it is not helping?
- What is the follow-up plan, who owns each step, and what is the expected timeline?
- How will progress be measured in both languages (what data will you collect)?
- If we need school support, what parts of the report are most important for an IEP team?
- What training or continuing education informed this approach (for example, coursework by Pablo, Ellen Kester, or Tatyana Elleseff), and how did it affect your test selection?
Possible Outcomes of a Bilingual Speech and Language Evaluation
A bilingual speech and language evaluation can land in a few common places. The goal is not to label your child, it is to decide what support fits best and how to measure change.
Your child’s development appears typical for a bilingual learner
Sometimes the evaluation shows that your child’s communication skills line up with typical bilingual language acquisition. The report may describe patterns like code-mixing or a silent period as normal bilingualism, not a red flag.
Children’s Minnesota notes that bilingual children often meet the same early developmental milestones as monolingual peers, such as first words around age 1 and two-word phrases around age 2. When that broader pattern fits, the report may recommend no therapy and instead focus on home language support and school monitoring.
A language difference rather than a language disorder
A clinician may call the pattern a language difference when results match limited exposure, typical second-language learning, or dialect variation.
This matters in school decision-making too. Under the IDEA evaluation requirements, assessments should be selected and administered to avoid cultural bias and should be provided in the child’s native language or other mode of communication when feasible.
If the report points to difference, recommendations often emphasize classroom supports, clear language scaffolds, and monitoring, instead of starting speech therapy right away.
A speech or language disorder is identified
The evaluation may identify a disorder when your child shows significant delays in both languages that bilingualism alone cannot explain. The report should name the affected domain (articulation, language, fluency) and describe how results connect to functional impact at home and school.
If stuttering or fluency concerns come up, clinicians may rely on tools as simple as a well-collected language sample to separate normal second-language disfluencies from stuttering patterns, which is a recommendation you’ll also see discussed by the Stuttering Foundation.
Additional testing or referrals may be recommended
Sometimes the best outcome is not a final answer yet, it is a targeted next step. If results are mixed, the clinician may recommend a hearing test (if you do not already have a recent one), broader developmental testing, or follow-up language sampling after more exposure to the school language.
You should receive a written plan that answers three questions: what you are doing next, who is responsible, and when the team will regroup to review new information.
If Speech Therapy Is Recommended
If the evaluation supports speech therapy, you should expect clear goals tied to the assessment, plus a simple way to track progress over time.
How therapy goals are developed
Strong goals come straight from the evaluation data and your priorities as a family. The clinician should explain what they are targeting and why it matters for daily communication.
Many teams write goals that you can measure in a repeatable way. Here is a format you can ask for if the plan feels vague:
- Skill: What behavior are we building (sound production, sentence length, story retell, fluency strategy)?
- Context: Where will we measure it (play, conversation, classroom task, picture description)?
- Method: What repeats each time (same prompt type, short language sample, brief probe list)?
- Success definition: What counts as improvement for your child?
- Languages: Which language(s) will be used in therapy and home practice?
Why supporting both languages is usually encouraged
In many cases, supporting the home language strengthens family connection and can support school learning too, because language skills transfer across languages.
A National Academies report on children’s language development describes evidence that strong home-language skills support English development, and it highlights broader benefits of bilingualism for children and families.
How often therapy may be provided
Therapy frequency depends on the child’s needs, the goals, and what your family can realistically maintain. Plans often use weekly or every-other-week sessions, paired with short home routines that fit into real life.
If you need interpreter services for sessions or parent coaching, ask for that early so scheduling stays consistent across the plan.
How progress is monitored over time
Progress monitoring should never feel like a mystery. Your clinician can track change using a mix of standardized re-checks and practical measures.
Ask for progress monitoring that includes at least two of these:
- Short probes for the exact target skill (sounds, grammar forms, fluency tools)
- Language samples in conversation or story retell to show real-world change
- Family and teacher input about carryover in daily routines
- Work samples or classroom data when school goals are part of the plan
If Your Child Does Not Need Speech Therapy
If therapy is not recommended, that is still a useful outcome. You should leave with specific guidance for what to watch, what to practice, and when to recheck.
When monitoring progress is the best next step
Monitoring makes sense when scores and observations fall within typical limits for bilingual language development, or when your child is in a stage of second-language learning where speaking less at school can be expected.
You should still ask for a monitoring plan with clear triggers, so you are not left guessing. For example, you can agree on what change would prompt follow-up, such as a plateau across both languages, a new fluency concern, or growing frustration with communication.
Ways to continue supporting language development at home
You do not need complicated materials to build communication skills. You need consistent, low-pressure language opportunities in both languages.
- Read in both languages, then ask one simple question and one “why” question to stretch language.
- Use short storytelling routines at meals, like “best part, hard part, funny part” of the day.
- Build vocabulary during errands by naming, describing, and grouping items (colors, categories, functions).
- Practice target words through play, then use the same words in a daily routine so the skill transfers.
- Use predictable books and repeated lines to help your child join in without pressure.
- If your SLP suggests it, use familiar narrative tools like Mercer Mayer frog books to practice story structure in the language your child is most comfortable using.
When to consider a follow-up evaluation
Consider a follow-up if you see new concerns, stalled progress across both languages, or a major change in your child’s environment that affects communication.
If school staff raise concerns, ask what they are seeing in class (work samples, participation patterns, peer interactions) and compare that with what you see at home. That comparison often clarifies whether you are looking at a learning-in-English issue or something broader.
How Schools May Become Involved
School teams can use clinic information to shape supports, but they may also do their own evaluation process. The most effective plans happen when you coordinate clinic recommendations with classroom realities.
Understanding school-based evaluations and services
Schools evaluate under IDEA rules and must reduce cultural and linguistic bias, including using the child’s native language or other mode of communication when feasible.
If you are in Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Education and Minneapolis Public Schools describe a 30 school day timeline for completing an initial special education evaluation after written parent consent, which is shorter than the federal baseline.
How the evaluation may support an IEP or other educational plan
Clinic reports can support school planning by documenting language history, language dominance, and how your child performed across both languages. They can also clarify what accommodations were used so the school team understands what made testing fair.
If an IEP is appropriate, the school team can translate the report’s findings into observable goals, classroom accommodations, and a progress-monitoring plan that fits the school setting.
Working together with teachers and therapists
Coordination works best when you share a short, organized summary rather than dropping a long report into someone’s inbox and hoping it lands well.
- Bring a one-page summary to meetings: strengths, needs, languages used, and top recommendations.
- Ask teachers for classroom examples, not just impressions (work samples, participation notes, simple data).
- Request interpreter support for school meetings if your family needs it.
- Set a predictable check-in schedule with the team (monthly or quarterly) so small concerns do not turn into big ones.
- Ask how progress will be tracked in class, not only in therapy sessions.
Questions Parents Should Ask After the Evaluation
The best questions are the ones that turn information into action. Your goal is to understand the results well enough to explain them in one minute and use them for the next decision.
What are my child’s greatest strengths?
Ask for strengths in both languages, with real examples from the evaluation (what your child said, how they solved a task, what helped them succeed).
Then ask the “so what” question: how can you use those strengths to build the next skill, at home and in school?
What should we work on at home?
Ask for a short list that matches your routine. If the plan includes too many activities, you will not keep it going.
Request two pieces of detail that make home practice work: the best time of day for your child, and the easiest way to keep practice low-pressure (play-based, choice-based, short bursts).
How will progress be measured?
Ask what will be measured in each language and how often you will get an update. You can also ask to see a sample goal chart or example data sheet so you know what progress monitoring will look like.
If the plan includes school services, confirm how clinic data and classroom data will be combined, so everyone is tracking the same outcome.
When should my child be reevaluated?
Ask what would trigger an earlier reevaluation, and what a reasonable review window is based on your child’s age, exposure changes, and level of concern.
If your child is entering a new school setting or new language environment, ask what changes are expected (like a silent period) and what changes would be unexpected.
Supporting Your Child After the Evaluation
The most helpful thing you can do after an evaluation is keep language warm and consistent. Then you use the report to create structure, not pressure.
Continue using both languages
Keep both languages in daily routines. That gives your child more chances to build vocabulary, sentence structure, and confidence.
If you are worried about “confusing” your child, bring that worry to the SLP. Many bilingual children code-mix and still develop strong skills in both languages over time.
Build language through everyday routines
Routine-based practice works because it is repeatable and low effort. Pick one or two routines and keep them steady for a few weeks.
- During morning routines, name items and actions in the home language and the school language.
- At meals, use simple “tell me more” prompts to stretch sentences.
- At bedtime, read one short story and ask your child to retell one part in either language.
- During play, model short sentences, then pause long enough for your child to take a turn.
- Use picture supports or simple gesture cues if the report suggests they help your child succeed.
Celebrate progress instead of comparing your child to others
Bilingual children do not all follow the same timeline, especially when exposure changes because of school, childcare, or family routines.
Measure progress against your child’s baseline, not another child’s highlight reel. Keep notes on what got easier and what settings helped your child communicate more freely.
Keep communication open with your child’s care team
Share wins and concerns early, especially if something changes across settings (home versus school). Small updates help the team adjust goals before frustration builds.
If you have interpreter needs, request consistent interpreter support for meetings and follow-ups so information stays accurate and complete.
Common Mistakes Parents Should Avoid After an Evaluation
A good evaluation gives you direction, but the follow-through determines the outcome. Avoid these common missteps so your child gets steady support.
Assuming the evaluation defines your child’s future
An evaluation is a snapshot of skills at one point in time. Children change quickly, especially when their language environment changes.
Use the report as a starting point, then rely on progress monitoring to guide the next decision.
Stopping use of the home language
Do not cut out the home language after an evaluation. For many children, the home language is where they communicate most, feel safest, and build identity.
If you feel pressure to “switch to English only,” ask the SLP to explain the reasoning and how it fits your child’s language history. In many cases, supporting the home language helps learning in the school language too.
Expecting immediate progress
Even when the plan is clear, change takes time. Bilingual children may also show a silent period around new school exposure, and that can be normal rather than a setback.
Focus on consistency, not speed. Track small wins you can observe, like longer sentences, clearer sounds, or more willingness to take conversational turns.
Ignoring recommendations or follow-up appointments
If the plan includes therapy, monitoring, referrals, or school supports, follow-through matters. Missed visits and skipped home routines often lead to slower progress and unclear data.
If the plan feels unrealistic, say that. A smaller plan you can maintain beats a perfect plan that never happens.
Final Thoughts
After a bilingual speech and language evaluation, you should receive a clear report that explains strengths, needs, test modifications, and next steps. Use that report to support decisions about speech therapy, school services, or other referrals.
Keep both languages active in daily life, watch for steady progress in communication skills, and follow the plan your SLP recommends. If you need help scheduling or coordinating next steps, call 612-813-8700.
Frequently Asked Questions
These FAQs cover common questions about bilingual assessment findings, written reports, IEP coordination, and what changes to expect over time.
Will my child automatically qualify for speech therapy?
No. A bilingual evaluation does not automatically lead to speech therapy.
The speech-language pathologist reviews the full picture, including standardized testing, language samples, and functional communication. If trained interpreters are involved, they help the team avoid confusing bilingual differences with language disorders.
If the evaluation identifies a disorder, eligibility and the therapy plan depend on the nature and severity of the concern and how it affects daily life.
Should we stop speaking our home language if therapy is recommended?
No. Keep speaking your home language.
Children’s Minnesota notes that bilingual children can meet the same early milestones as monolingual children, and it describes cognitive and academic benefits when the home language is supported. Therapy can support English, the home language, or both, using bilingual therapists or interpreter support as needed.
How often should my child’s progress be reviewed?
It depends on the plan and setting. Many teams review progress at regular intervals, especially when goals are written in measurable terms.
Ask the clinician to name the review schedule in plain language, and ask what data will be used (probes, language samples, school input, or periodic re-check testing).
Can the evaluation results change as my child grows?
Yes. Evaluations reflect skills at one point in time.
Changes in language exposure, schooling, confidence, and development can all shift performance. Your child’s plan should evolve as new data comes in through progress monitoring and follow-up.
What if I disagree with the evaluation results?
Request a meeting to review the findings step-by-step. Ask the team to point to the specific evidence behind each conclusion, including how bilingual development was considered.
If you believe the evaluation missed key skills in the home language, share examples (videos, caregiver notes, school input) and ask what additional testing or observation would clarify the picture. If school services are involved, ask the school team about their process for second opinions and additional evaluation options.
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