ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the study of bilingualism is not just for the benefit of scholars and scientists. It also addresses three potential areas of application for the model: acquisition, attrition, and language disorders. Historically, studies in second language acquisition (SLA) tended to adopt research strategies and assumptions that mimicked research on first language acquisition. Variation in lexical choice and language choice as a function of contextual information may be an important contributor to language acquisition and socialization. The sociopragmatic information components and psycholinguistic processing mechanisms suggest an integrated methodology for studying loss and attrition. The development of a Sociopragmatic-Psycholinguistic (SPPL) Information Model profile of a bilingual child with a suspected or diagnosed language disturbance requires collecting data in two languages, across a range of sociopragmatic and psycholinguistic information. Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) is defined by the DSM-V as an impairment in three areas: social interaction skills, communicative skills, and stereotypic and repetitive behaviors.
