Graduation Year

2026

Date of Submission

12-2025

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Biology

Reader 1

Aditi Vyas

Reader 2

Gilda L Ochoa

Abstract

This thesis explores how neurodevelopmental processes and sociocultural environments interact to shape speech disorders among bilingual Latine children. Rather than treating bilingualism as a source of confusion or delay, this study reframes it within a framework where biology and environment continuously shape one another. Drawing from neuroscience, genetics, and sociocultural research, it examines how neural pathways involved in language production and comprehension develop, and how factors such as family language practices, school policies, and systemic bias affect diagnosis and care. Through this interdisciplinary lens, the literature review highlights how typical bilingual patterns are often mistaken for disorder due to monolingual norms built into education and clinical systems. It argues that diagnostic inequities stem not from children’s abilities but from structural barriers, like the shortage of bilingual clinicians and the use of English-only assessments, that privilege one linguistic standard over another. Ultimately, this paper calls for a more inclusive understanding of bilingual speech development, one that recognizes how biology, language, and culture work together. By integrating neuroscientific insight with sociocultural awareness, it aims to promote diagnostic equity and affirm that every child’s voice, in any language, deserves to be understood and valued.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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