Southeast Michigan is home to one of the largest Arabic-speaking communities in the country. As of 2021, about 190,000 Arabic speakers lived in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area, 4.7% of residents age 5 and older, the highest share of any US metro (Pew Research Center). Statewide, Michigan schools served 104,213 English learners in 2024-25, according to state data reported by Michigan News Source.
For IEP teams, that raises a hard question every year: when an Arabic-speaking student struggles with language, is it a disorder, or is the student still learning English?
Why English-only testing gets it wrong
A student who is still learning English can look like a student with a language disorder on an English test. They may have a smaller English vocabulary, make grammar errors, or take longer to answer. All of that can be completely typical for a second-language learner.
The opposite mistake happens too. A real disorder can be written off as "they're still learning English," and the student goes years without support.
ASHA puts it simply: "Being multilingual is not a communication disorder," and "signs of a communication disorder are seen across all the languages that a multilingual person uses" (ASHA multilingual service delivery). The only way to see that is to look at both languages.
What the law asks for
IDEA requires that evaluations be "provided and administered in the child's native language or other mode of communication and in the form most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows and can do," and that they not be discriminatory on a racial or cultural basis (34 CFR 300.304). We explain that rule in more detail in IDEA's native-language evaluation rule, explained.
What a good Arabic bilingual evaluation includes
A family interview in Arabic about development, history and how the student communicates at home.
Testing in both Arabic and English, using standardized and informal measures interpreted with care. ASHA notes that standardized scores are not valid for a child who is not represented in the test's normative sample, so interpretation matters as much as the test itself.
Language samples and dynamic assessment, which show how the student learns, not only what they already know.
Dialect-aware interpretation. Arabic varies a lot from region to region, and a student's dialect has to be taken into account.
A written report ready for the IEP team, with clear findings for your REED and IEP process.
Results explained to the family in Arabic, so parents can take a real part in the IEP meeting.
Interpreter or Arabic-speaking clinician?
Interpreters are sometimes the only option, and a good one is valuable. But an evaluation completed by a clinician who speaks Arabic lets the student and family communicate directly with the person making clinical judgments. Less is lost in translation.
How Anwar House of Therapy can help
Our Arabic bilingual speech and language evaluations are completed by clinicians who speak Arabic. Evaluations can happen in your building, at our Dearborn clinic, or a mix of both, and family interviews and results meetings can be held virtually when that is easier for parents. Tell us your deadlines and we will plan around your district's timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Do you use interpreters?
Our evaluations are completed by clinicians who speak Arabic, so families and students can communicate directly with the evaluator.
Which Arabic dialects do you work with?
Tell us the student's background when you request an evaluation and we will match the right clinician and plan for dialect differences.
What do you need from the school?
Signed consent, the REED or referral information, any existing records, and input from the student's teachers.
Where do evaluations happen?
In your building, at our Dearborn clinic, or a mix of both. Family interviews and results meetings can be held virtually when that is easier for parents.
Need an Arabic bilingual evaluation? See how our evaluations work or call (734) 224-9121.
