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Speech Delay in Bilingual Children, Advice from a Speech Therapist
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Last Updated on August 11, 2023 by Bilingual Kidspot
Bilingual Children and Speech Delay
Updated June 2023.
Today we are talking about Speech Delay in children, and in particular speech delay in Bilingual Kids. In this article we will go through the answers to the following questions:
- What are the general milestones in bilingual language development?
- What is a speech delay?
- What are the possible causes of speech delay?
- Does bilingualism cause speech delay?
- At what point where a speech delay is diagnosed in a bilingual child, do you drop a language?
- Should speech therapy be delivered in the majority or minority language or both?
- How do you encourage your clients and their families as they navigate the world of other medical professionals especially when multilingualism is uncommon?
Related: Late Talkers
Does Bilingualism Cause Speech Delay?
Hello I’m Christina-May, a bilingual speech & language pathologist, lecturer and a parent coach. I have a pediatric service “Hearing Speech & Literacy”. Today I am going to try to answer your questions about Speech Delay in children.
1. What are the General Milestones in Bilingual Language Development
First and foremost, it is important to distinguish between the two main and most common types of bilingualism. Simultaneous and sequential bilingualism , this is important as they have different milestones.
Simultaneous bilingualism refers to the acquisition of both languages from birth. Sequential bilingualism refers to the development of a second language before the age of 3.
Simultaneous bilingualism
A child appears to go through two stages; the first stage the undifferentiated stage is where a single language system comprising of both languages is formed and the very same processes that a monolingual child develops occur at the same time as monolinguals.
This meaning that they achieve the same fundamental milestones in language development with respect to babbling, their first words and the emergence of word combinations despite the fact that they have less exposure to each language compared to their monolingual counterparts. The only difference is that both languages may be used interchangeably in the same sentence or even within the same word; blending and mixing languages together.
The second stage is the differentiated stage , this is when the child differentiates between the two languages and uses them as separate systems, for different purposes and sometimes with different people.
In the following table milestones for simultaneous language development are described and red flags for language issues are noted.
Recommended: 5 Stages of Second Language Acquisition
Sequential bilingualism
Acquiring a second language is a largely distinct process compared to developing a second language. The sequentially bilingual child draws on knowledge from their first language and create their own pace depending on each child’s character, unique social and cultural circumstances and motivation.
In the following table milestones for the sequential acquisition of two languages are outlined without chronological ages attached.
2. What is a Speech Delay
A child is considered to have speech delay if his/her speech development is significantly below the norm for children of the same age.
A child with speech delay has speech development that is typical of a normally developing child of a younger chronologic age.
This meaning that the speech delayed child’s skills are acquired in a normal sequence reaching speech milestones at a later date.
3. What are the possible causes of speech delay in children?
The possible causes of speech delay in any child are congenital, i.e. present at birth. These may be: hearing impairment, mental retardation, anatomical abnormalities, cognitive deficits, genetic differences, neurologic impairment and physiologic abnormalities.
They may also be acquired, i.e., result from illness, injury or environmental factors such as maturation delay or psychosocial deprivation. Autism spectrum disorder is also directly related to speech and communication delay.
In otherwise normal development and even more specific to bilingual development we may experience an initial silent period for children. In later days we witness a smaller vocabulary when each language is considered separately. Some view this as a delay, but when both languages are considered together they are equivalent to larger vocabularies, we refer to this as conceptual vocabulary.
4. Does Bilingualism Cause Speech Delay?
There is currently no empirical evidence to link bilingualism to language delay. Dual language learning does not cause confusion and or language delays in young children, as shown from grounded research (DeHouwer, 2009; Paradis, et al., 2011).
“There is no scientific evidence to date that hearing two or more languages leads to delays or disorders in language acquisition. Many, many children throughout the world grow up with two or more languages from infancy without showing any signs of language delays or disorder”. De Houwer (1999, p.1)
5. At what point where a speech delay is diagnosed to you “drop” a language?
There is no empirical evidence at present to justify restricting children with developmental disorders from learning two languages. Therefore dropping a language has never been an option for our service.
We engage the family in an informed decision process, using powerful evidence from current research, that even children with genetic predispositions for language learning difficulties can achieve competence in two languages at the same time during their preschool years.
At the same time we explain the importance of maintaining a home language for emotional and behavioural regulation as well as family and cultural relatedness. We ensure that demands on the child to learn languages that will not be central to future communicative needs, i.e. schooling are alleviated.
Even with bilingual children with severe conditions such as autism spectrum disorders we have been able to maintain both the languages spoken in the home or the school/community with additional help of course. Their learning differences do not impair their language abilities beyond what we know is true for monolingual children who face the same learning challenges.
We also ensure there is an understanding that the parents have to provide optimal and well-structured native input in the language they wish to see their child proficient in always keeping in mind that focusing strongly on one language can lead to language dominance in bilinguals.
Also schooling has a strong influence on language dominance. If parents decide to switch to a monolingual mode, this is respected but never encouraged. The home language is always encouraged and parents are supported throughout the therapy process.
6. Should speech therapy be delivered in the majority or minority language or both?
Neither language needs to be compromised if you adopt a more flexible service delivery model. In an ideal world, the ideal situation would be that your SLP can and does deliver therapy in both languages.
When the SLP cannot provide such a service he/she should be able to train parents in parent training programs to use specific techniques. The SLP provides direct instructional intervention to the parent who then becomes the primary administrator of therapy.
Specific language facilitation techniques can and are often used by parents as the agents of therapy in their mother tongue. These are: modeling, expansion, recast and responsive feedback, using the language the therapist cannot. This requires additional professional abilities, time and preparation but it can yield exceptionally good results.
Interpreters can also be used to facilitate better communication between the parents and the therapist. With a qualified therapist’s help, parents and others who care for children who are being raised bilingually should take a dynamic responsibility to ensure that bilingual children get adequate and regular exposure to both languages.
7. How do you encourage these families?
It is the duty of all SLPs to provide services to linguistically diverse children. Our code of conduct dictates that we provide services that effectively supports the development of the home language and includes parent and paraprofessional training.
We provide flyers with a bilingual child’s milestones to pediatricians, teachers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and any other professionals who might come into contact with the children we serve.
This helps to disseminate information about bilingualism and its advantages, so that any “advice” from naysayers to drop a language may be avoided.
We encourage our clients to use the information given to them when they visit other medical professionals by taking this information with them and talking through the therapy process with other professionals.
As a last resort, we provide them with full reports to take along to their appointments; these reports clearly outline how the therapy process is encouraging the acquisition of both languages by supporting both the home and the community language in different respects.
Christina offers online consultancy for those who would like to know more about bilingual kids and speech delay. For information you can contact her at [email protected]
More Language Development Advice
- Language Development in Bilingual Children
- Bilingual Children with Developmental Delay
- When to Ignore Your Doctors Advice on Speech & Language Development
- Late Talkers, What To Do if Your Child is Not Talking Yet
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Are Bilingual Children More Likely to Experience a Speech or Language Delay?
Stop me if you’ve heard this myth before: raising your infant or toddler in a bilingual household, or teaching them two languages at once, could cause a speech or language delay.
This is a common and pervasive perception that continues to cause confusion and concern among not only parents of bilingual children but also teachers and pediatricians.
This question has taken on new prominence in recent years as more and more children grow up speaking multiple languages at home. In 1980, approximately 11% of households in the United States were bilingual, according to the annual American Community Survey (ACS) . As recently as 2018, that number has nearly doubled to 21%, representing close to 63 million people.
In short, bilingualism does not cause speech or language delays. These beliefs are often based on misconceptions rather than scientific research and facts.
In this article, I’ll cover some o pressing questions about your child’s bilingual speech development, and provide tips and techniques to raise proficient and confident communicators within a bilingual household.
Let’s start with the basics.
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What is a Speech and Language Delay?
Speech and language development often begins with slight cooing in infancy. It then progresses to babbling, and eventually a child produces their first understandable words.
While every child develops on their own timeline, speech-language pathologists look for general milestones when determining a child’s speech habits and proficiency. For example, a typical two-year-old should be able to intelligibly say about 50 words in two- and three-word sentences. From there, a child’s vocabulary rapidly increases, and by age 3 they should be using as many as 1,000 words in everyday conversation.
A child may be considered to have a speech delay if they don’t meet these typical milestones. This is a common problem that can affect up to 10% of preschool children, regardless of whether they’re learning to speak one or two languages.
Speech delays can often be confused with language delays . However, these are two separate conditions (although a child may have both). While speech delays affect a child’s articulation of words, a language delay can occur when a child has trouble using and understanding words.
For example, they may have difficulty learning new vocabulary words or stringing words together into coherent sentences (expressive language disorder). They may also find it challenging to extract meaning from the words they hear around them (receptive language disorder).
Yes, children learning two languages at once can experience speech or language delays. However, they are no more suseptible than monolingual children.
Where Does This Myth Come From?
It’s never easy to identify the genesis of a myth. However, this long-standing misbelief most likely springs from the idea that bilingual children are more prone to confusion. In other words, they don’t fully grasp how and when to use vocabulary because it’s split between two languages, which can lead to a “silent period.”
If we want to get technical, this is actually a common occurrence that’s called “code-mixing.” This means that a child (or an adult) may mix words from two languages into the same sentence. While this is a completely normal part of bilingual speech development, research has dispelled the myth that it causes a delay in their communication abilities.
A bilingual child may code mix for two reasons:
- All children learn language from listening to those around them—namely, their parents and caregivers. If you’re bilingual yourself, or live in a bilingual community, you know that adults code mix all the time. Children simply absorb and repeat what many of us do everyday.
- Compared to a monolingual child, a bilingual child may not have the same expansive bank of vocabulary words available in both languages to draw from. Therefore, they may “borrow” the word from another language. This isn’t a deficit at all! Quite the contrary, this demonstrates a child’s resourcefulness and ingenuity to form sentences using all available information.
As children get older and their linguistic abilities expand, they’ll be able to distinguish and modulate between the two languages their conversational partners use.
One helpful tip is to keep the language that’s being spoken to your child consistent in the moment. While it’s okay if your child code mixes on their own, you should try not to combine languages in the same setting.
For example, if you’re speaking Spanish at the breakfast table, speak Spanish. If you later use English at the playground, then use English. Also, encourage family members to speak the language that they’re most comfortable with.
What are the Benefits of Raising Bilingual Children?
Now that we’ve debunked the idea that bilingualism can cause speech or language delays, let’s turn this question on its head. Can raising a bilingual child actually increase their language development?
A mountain of research has sought to answer this question. Let’s look at some of the common advantages of teaching your child two languages at once.
Personal Abilities
Bilingualism opens people up to a world of possibilities and a slew of advantages when it comes to employment, speaking with extended family members, making friends, understanding and appreciating different cultures, and more. These reasons alone should encourage anyone to learn a new language.
Social Understanding
Social skills are a key part of childhood development. This refers to how children respond to different social situations, their ability to empathize and understand people with different perspectives and backgrounds, and how they communicate and act in group settings (for example, sharing toys, using appropriate facial expressions, actively listening, or managing their emotions).
Studies have shown that bilingual children have increased social awareness and understanding, which is not surprising. In many cases, bilingual children are navigating a more complex social environment, as well as interacting with people from different cultures.
Cognitive Advantages
While the cognitive advantages of knowing more than one language is well-documented in adults, research ( here and here ) also suggests that toddlers and infants display improved cognitive development.
More specifically, young children may show increased abilities to switch between activities and perform executive functioning tasks (such as time management, multitasking, problem solving, and working memory) that are critical for academic and professional success.
These advantages seem pretty obvious when you think about it: bilingual children are constantly practicing their ability to switch between languages, honing skills like selective attention and cognitive flexibility. These skills are essential to all aspects of our lives, even beyond language development.
Supporting Bilingual Language Development at Home
When it comes to bilingual speech and language development, parents and caregivers play a key role. Many at-home activities and routines help improve your child’s vocabulary development, speech proficiency, and comprehension of both languages.
However, all of these techniques come down to one simple principle: exposure. Expanding your child’s bilingual learning comes from constant and fully immersive exposure to both languages. Frequently speaking and interacting with your child in each language—and providing ample encouragement throughout the learning process—will help them grow and develop into a bilingual communicator.
It’s important to note that language development has countless positive downstream effects for children: it helps improve their literacy skills, reading comprehension, and academic success.
Nevertheless, patience is key! It may sometimes be discouraging for parents raising a bilingual child when you hear them mixing their languages. However, as mentioned previously, this is completely normal. What’s important is that you provide plenty of practice, persistence, and encouragement!
Language-building Activities to Practice with Your Child at Home
1. narrate your daily life.
It sounds simple, but children grow their language skills from listening to those around them. One way to immerse them within a language-rich environment is to simply narrate the activities and daily routines you’re performing together in the target languages you’re teaching: mealtime, bath time, getting dressed, playing outside.
Just simply describe what you’re doing in the moment (like using soap to get clean, cooking dinner, or brushing your teeth) in either language. They’ll be incorporating these phrases into their language habits in no time!
If you don’t speak the target language you’d like your child to learn, be sure to sign them up for 1-on-1, professional Spanish classes with the wonderful teachers at Homeschool Spanish Academy!
2. Language Expansion
Natural language expansion is an effective technique that speech therapists use all the time. The concept is simple: put the words your child is saying into a longer phrase for them to imitate.
For example, if your child regularly says “ jugo” to signal they’re thirsty, you can respond back by saying “jugo, por favor.” You always want to be working one skill level above your child. So, if they’re already saying two-word phrases such as “jugo, por favo r,” you can model back a three-word phrase like “quiero más jugo” or “me gusta jugo.”
The simplest way to accomplish this is to connect your child with a native Spanish speaker, which we provide at Homeschool Spanish Academy. Learn more about how the program works!
3. Model Correct Language
When practicing your child’s communication skills, try to resist the temptation to “overcorrect” their speech errors. Constantly interrupting your child can lead them to feel frustrated and discouraged, and they may be less likely to practice.
What you can do instead is correctly model the word or phrase your child should have said at that moment. For example, if they’re using the word “ugo” instead of “jugo,” then just use the proper pronunciation when you hand them the beverage.
4. Read Regularly
A child’s ability to read fluently, identify items in pictures, and comprehend both written and verbal language is key to their development. Reading regularly is essential for a child’s budding brain, starting in infancy. Reading constantly to your child, and switching between both languages, improves their vocabulary, comprehension, and listening skills. Here is a list of free Spanish books to read to your children .
How to Tell if Your Child has a Speech Delay
While learning two languages doesn’t cause a speech delay, it can still happen to any child. It can be difficult to determine whether your child is just a late talker who will soon catch up or if there’s a more serious challenge that requires intervention.
If you have concerns that your child may have a speech or language delay, it’s generally recommended that you receive a full evaluation from a licensed speech-language pathologist. There are many bilingual speech therapists who can help evaluate, diagnose, and treat communication issues in children.
Common Signs of a Speech Delay
Here are some common signs that could signal a speech or language delay for kiddos between 18-30 months old:
Understanding Language
Language includes much more than verbal language. If your child can understand language and follow simple directions, they’re more likely to catch up with their peers. If they’re not able to comprehend or grasp what you’re saying, there could be a more severe issue at hand. After all, children must be able to comprehend language before they can use it themselves.
Using Gestures
Similarly, pay close attention to whether your child is actively using gestures to communicate (such as waving hello and goodbye, pointing to objects they desire, or raising their arms to signal they’d like to be picked up). This is a key component of language development and means your child is more likely just a late bloomer.
Learning New Words
At this age, children should be regularly learning and applying new vocabulary words to their speech. They should also be starting to put these words together to form short sentences, requests, and questions. If you don’t hear new words often, speak with your pediatrician, or seek help from a speech-language pathologist.
Move Forward with Speech Therapy
Speech therapy can be delivered in a variety of settings: a private clinic, school, or online. Increasingly, many parents and caregivers have turned to online speech therapy due to its effectiveness, affordability, and convenience. What’s most important is that you find a speech therapist and setting that works best for your child.
More Forward with Live, Kid-Friendly Spanish Instruction
Allowing your child to make a strong connection with a Spanish teacher online is a key to mastering their target language. Are you ready to encourage your little one to practice active listening and sharpen their Spanish speaking skills? Try a free class today with one of our native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. They’re equipped to meet your child at their level in a friendly and fun way that’s guaranteed to keep their interest!
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Speech and Language Delay in Bilingual Toddlers
- July 7, 2020
In this post: How to recognize if your bilingual toddler has a speech delay and six steps you can take to support your child’s language development at home.
Are you raising a bilingual child and worried that they may have a speech delay?
Do you need expert advice on how to actually diagnose whether your child has a language delay or not?
There are many misconceptions and common myths about raising bilinguals and the correlation to speech delays. Firstly, let’s just clarify that bilingualism does NOT cause language delays.
This post explains how to recognize a speech delay and six important steps for how to help the child.
This guest post has been translated into English by Corrie Wiik. To read the original in Spanish please visit Estela’s website here .
How do I know if my child has a language delay?
Are you asking yourself this question, mama? Or have you made any of these comments lately:
“My child isn’t developing at the same speed as other children” “I find it difficult to not compare my child to other children” “My son doesn’t speak very well and I don’t know if I should be worried” “My daughter doesn’t pronounce things properly”
The issue is you don’t know whether to be concerned, consult a specialist, or if there is something you can do to help them. It’s not the same if we’re talking about a child at the beginning stages of speech development as a child who already has a decent amount of vocabulary but is hard to comprehend.
In general, in order to know if your child has a language delay, you need to understand a few things.
Normal Language Development
First, you need to know what the characteristics are of children’s language. The charts for normal language development tell us what the children have to learn, what they should know how to do, and say at each level/age. However, these charts have their limitations.
Firstly, they don’t take into account the uniqueness of bilingual children. Secondly, they should also be taken only as guidelines, and not literally.
In my professional experience, the differences in language acquisition and language development between children are huge. There are children between the ages of two and three who barely speak at all, but after a few years catch up to the level of their peers. However, in a therapy clinic they would diagnose them as children with a language delay.
Language Delay: A Definition
Language delay is defined as a delay in the production or development of language, above all in the spoken form. Language production is more delayed and develops slowly. The child is put in the “correct” level when they reach five or six years of age, even with no type of intervention.
What I question is: Why label them with a “language delay” if they will undoubtedly catch up eventually? These words only add more worry to moms and this could be avoided.
I always speak about the different styles and rhythms of learning. In order to provide the appropriate help we don’t need to have a label, but rather, we need to be able to understand how communication functions. This includes knowing that in almost all cases of a diagnosis, the advice given is overall the same: provide an environment that is rich in communication and make certain adjustments.
In any case, I understand the WHY for classifications. They provide a guide or a reference to see if development is indeed taking place, even if it’s later. In addition, language delay is not the same as language disorder which can affect comprehension and various aspects of communication.
Related Post: 5 Benefits of Bilingualism
Early Language Evaluation
An early evaluation is very important because it allows us to know if progression is happening and, above all, that no signs are showing that anything more important is coming into play (like a language disorder or other developmental disorders).
Equally, there are characteristics for each language development stage that ought to be taken as guides. There are also “warning signs” that ought to be taken into account, too.
When I do a language evaluation, I focus on their language. But not only on the language that you “hear”, like their sounds, vocalizations or words, but also in the language that you “see”.
Reassuring Behaviors:
The language that you see is global communication:
- Their intention and desire to communicate
- The way they look at their mom and towards objects
- Their smiles, gestures, and finger that signals
- What they understand when their mom tells them or asks them something
- Their ability to show things, to enjoy the relationship, to be interested in their environment
- To accept or reject, to greet and say goodbye
- To play in a certain way
- To imitate the actions and sounds of their mom
All these characteristics are a good sign that the language is developing, even though there may not be words yet.
Concerning Behaviors
In other words, we ought to worry only when the child does not show these behaviors. If the child:
- Doesn’t imitate
- Doesn’t look in your eyes
- Seems not to understand what you tell them, or doesn’t follow simple directions
- Doesn’t communicate with gestures, nor with their face
- Doesn’t make vocalizations, nor sounds
- Seems incapable of asking for things properly
- or playing in an imaginary way
In such cases, yes it is, without a doubt, the right moment to consult a specialist.
Related Post: How to Raise a Bilingual Child
In the majority of cases where there is little verbal language (language that you hear), they do indeed show all the characteristics of normal communication (the language that you see). In this case, early intervention is also important in order to give the appropriate help in driving forward language use. But the word ‘appropriate’ is very important. I’m not talking about intervening for the sake of intervening, nor doing direct or educational activities, nor advancing the normal processes of acquisition.
I’m talking about knowing the effective communication tools that maximize and make the most of all the bonding moments and communication at home, in order to supply a rich language environment. Not doing special activities, but rather using the normal daily routines (meal times, bath times, getting dressed, walks, shopping…) and play and story time.
These moments have a structure and very defined characteristics in which language can repeat itself. This favors language acquisition and your child can start to use these words.
Six Ways to Help a Child with a Speech Delay
Therefore, you need to make certain adjustments in these interactions and in your communication so that you can become their language stimulator. It’s important that:
- Spend a chunk of quality time with your child every day, being present and observing and listening attentively to them, to make you an expert in their communication.
- Enjoy these moments and your relationship with them, and the wonder that it is to see them grow.
- Follow their initiative and adapt to them, letting them show you what interests them, what they wish to play and who they want to read about in a story.
- Don’t ask too many questions and be sure to give them the necessary time to express themselves, perhaps even just with a gesture, a facial expression, a sound, a vocalization or a word.
- Provide them with a correct language model, with clear pronunciation, an unhurried and deliberate rhythm, and an agreeable tone of voice with gestures.
- Correct their words and pronunciation in an implicit way, without them realizing, so making sure to never make them repeat you.
Estela is a bilingual Speech Therapist and Language Development Expert. She is the founder of the website Creciendo con las Palabras .
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Spanish Speech Therapy Materials
Treating bilingual speech therapy clients can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be! These Spanish speech therapy materials will make your professional life easier and give you the confidence boost you need 🙂
My husband and I will be adding to this page frequently!! Contact us with any requests! Seriously!! Currently, we have:
1. Spanish Speech and Language Materials!
2. Spanish Articulation & Language Smash Mats
We have 60 pages of Spanish smash mats that you can use to practice articulation and language skills.
Use them to create effortless and effective speech therapy sessions. If you are a parent, they are a motivating tool for home practice.
To learn more about it, click here: Spanish Smash Mats
3. Spanish Cariboo Cards - Complete Set
I have jumped on the Cariboo craze for speech therapy. My students, ranging from 2-10 years old, LOVE Cariboo. I don't necessarily get it, but I am not complaining.
They are motivated, enjoying themselves, AND get A LOT of speech and language practice.
What's Included:
- Spanish Cariboo cards for the following sounds: B, CH, D, F, G, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T
- Cards for the initial, medial, and final position (when applicable)
- Colorful, HIGH-FREQUENCY words used to help with generalization
- When able, pictures with "less ink" used to cut down on printing costs
Click here to learn more about them.
4. Customizable Forms Based on Daily Activities
Blank Forms: Time of Day Practices
Below are completely customizable forms that can be printed and personalized depending on the client's goals. Click on the link below to download the PDF file.
- Bath Time
5. Bilingual Vocabulary Worksheets
Here are online, PDF forms for specific language goals. They can be personalized depending on the student's individual needs.
Again, the practices will revolve around meaningful, daily tasks.
- Associations
- Descriptions
Importance of a Bilingual Home Program
We all know the importance of a speech and language home program. However, for bilingual clients, the importance quadruples!
Due to all the great research out there, we now know a few things to be true about bilingual speech development relating to bilingual speech therapy:
- Speaking 2 languages DOES NOT cause a speech or language delay so only speaking 1 language will not "fix" the delay.
- Advising a family to only speak in English because their child has a speech or language delay is WRONG!
- Supporting the primary language is critical for speech, language, and social development
- A bilingual child in speech therapy should receive services in both languages, especially the primary language
- For bilingual speakers, there is a transfer of skills between the first language (L1) and the second language (L2)**
**HOWEVER!! For most language impaired students, language transfer between L1 and L2 may or may not happen naturally. To transfer skills from one language to another, a student needs strong meta-linguistic skills. Students with language impairments don’t always have these skills.
Free Spanish Materials
At Speech Therapy Talk Membership, I am committed to making ALL materials in both English and Spanish.
If you want to try some FREE Spanish Materials, complete the form below. You'll receive complimentary Spanish speech and language worksheets, therapy tips, and more.
This is an excellent opportunity to sample the materials available at Speech Therapy Talk Membership and add a touch of joy to your inbox.
Fill out the form to get your free Spanish worksheets
- Free Spanish Speech Therapy Materials
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How to Spot Speech Delays When You’re Raising a Child in a Bilingual Home
By Kristina Doyle, Fraser Speech-Language Pathologist • bilingual home and speech delays, bilingual child and speech delays, bilingual kids and speech delays, spotting speech delays when a child speaks more than one langugage, how to know if your bilingual child has a speech delay, speech language therapy for kids, speech therapy for kids, therapy for kids with a speech delay • October 01, 2020
Teaching your child two languages has numerous benefits. Research has shown it can improve problem-solving and critical thinking skills, as well as the ability to multi-task. Children who learn two languages may do better in school, and it increases their empathy toward other cultures.
But when your child is learning two languages, you may wonder how this will change his or her language development. Fraser Speech-Language Pathologist Kristina Doyle holds an advanced certificate in bilingual speech-language pathology. Doyle shares some things to watch for, and what you can do if you believe your child has a speech delay.
Watch for these developmental signs
According to Doyle, bilingual children should hit the same speech milestones as children who only speak one language. You should notice if your child is cooing, babbling or making gestures by the time he or she reaches the 12-month mark.
Between 9 -15 months, your child should begin to speak. For children at this age, Doyle says 50 words is considered within the normal range. For children who speak two languages, that can mean 25 words in one language and 25 in the other language. Parents may also wonder if a child knows “ball” in English and “ball” in Spanish, is that considered 1 or 2 words? Doyle says this is viewed as two words.
However, if your child speaks 15 words in each language or 30 total, your child is likely suffering from a speech delay.
Reach out for help if you only speak one language
If you’re a parent who speaks only one language, noticing a delay is more difficult. You won’t be quite sure how many words your child speaks in English, if you don’t speak English. Doyle suggests you enlist the help of someone like a teacher, babysitter or a family member who speaks English. Ask this person how your child sounds in English. You can ask questions like, “Can my child express what he or she wants?” or “Can you understand what my child says in English?”
An evaluation can provide answers
If you’re worried about your child’s development, Doyle recommends you get a speech evaluation. Even if you’re unsure, getting an assessment is helpful.
“If your child scores within the normal range, this tells you you’re on the right track,” Doyle says.
A speech-language pathologist may recommend therapy for a child who is delayed, or they may give you some strategies to work on at home.
Parents should advocate for their child
Doyle warns that bilingual children are more likely to be diagnosed with a speech disorder. This is partly because not all speech-language pathologists are trained to evaluate bilingual children. Standardized tests often used in speech evaluations are also created for children who speak only one language.
When Doyle evaluates bilingual children, she uses a combination of standardized tests and school-age language assessment measures (SLAM). SLAM, created by Dr. Cate Crowley, are picture cards that test a child’s ability to put the cards in order and then tell a story. Doyle says this gives a more complete picture for bilingual children and also helps create a better treatment plan.
When your child gets a speech evaluation, don’t be afraid to ask what tests are being used. You can request the pathologist use more than one kind of test to evaluate your child.
A speech delay doesn’t have to limit your child
Even if your child has a speech delay, you can still enroll him or her in a dual-language immersion school, says Doyle. In the past, this was viewed as counterproductive for children, but recent research shows learning two languages is always beneficial to children.
For children struggling to express themselves, speaking another language provides another way for them to find words. Maybe your child can’t think of the word “baño” in Spanish, but the English word “bathroom” pops into his or her head. For children with other conditions, like autism spectrum disorder, this can be particularly helpful.
“Bilingualism is a continuum. We don’t know 100% of both languages at all times,” Doyle says. “This code-switching, where bilingual children access both vocabularies, helps improve their overall language outcomes.”
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How to Help (Spanish Speaking) Children Speak More Clearly
As children learn new words and their vocabulary expands articulation errors are common in their speech. But when articulation errors persist beyond the age at which most children have mastered their speech sounds or if the frequency of errors affects their intelligibility then they may have a speech sound disorder. Assistance may be required to help them learn to produce the sounds correctly. If you are concerned that your child may have a speech delay it is recommended that you contact a Speech Language Pathologist for an evaluation.
This blog post outlines the process of teaching Spanish speaking children how to say their sounds correctly. The tool I will be using to outline this process is Articulation Station Español , an app for the iPad and iPhone available to parents, teachers and Speech Language Pathologists.
To teach a child how to walk they first have to stand, and then of course it’s a process they learn one step at a time. To teach a child how to say sounds correctly there is also a step by step process. In speech children first need to learn how to say each sound correctly all by itself. Then they learn to say the sound in syllables, words, phrases, sentences, stories and then finally in conversation. I will take you through this process using phonemes (sounds) that are unique to the Spanish language.
Practicing a sound in isolation means saying the sound all by itself without adding a vowel. For example, if you are practicing the ñ sound you would practice saying ñ, ñ, ñ multiple times in a row. The more accurate repetitions you are able to get your child to produce the better. When your child can say 10 accurate repetitions in a row they are ready to move on to syllables.
I’ve included tips for how to teach the ñ, r trill (rr) and r tap (r) sounds below. You can find tips for teaching all the sounds in the Spanish language under the “Quick Tips” for each sound in Articulation Station Español .
This sound is mastered around 5 years old.
To make the ñ sound part the lips slightly. Place the tip of the tongue behind the front teeth, covering the bumpy ridge while the back of the tongue touches the palate. Spread the tongue so that the sides of the tongue are touching the back teeth. Hold the tongue steady in this state while releasing the air through the nose and voicing the sound. Then follow the sound with a rapid glide as if to say n+y.
A good way to reinforce the correct placement of the tongue tip is to put something tasty on the bumpy ridge behind the front teeth to provide a little incentive to raise the tongue tip up. You may try peanut butter, marshmallow cream or Nutella. You’d be surprised how quickly the tongue tip goes up for a little chocolate!
A good way to reinforce the nasal release of air through the nose is to hold your finger on your nose so you can feel the vibration while the air is being released.
A fun way to practice the ñ sound is to pretend you are leading the music while singing, “nia”, “nio”, “niu” from which is easily obtained “ñia”, “ñio”, “ñiu”. Take turns leading the music until the ñ sound is mastered.
The rr sound is mastered around 7 years old.
To make the rr sound, place the tip of the tongue on the bumpy ridge behind the upper front teeth and while keeping the tongue pressed firmly against the bumpy ridge let the air out in a single explosive breath. The air pressure will make the tip of the tongue vibrate and when voice is added will produce the rr sound.
A good way to reinforce the correct placement of the tongue tip is by asking the child to press the tip of his tongue against the bumpy ridge and to push the air against it without letting the tongue out of the mouth. You can help the child keep the tip of his tongue on the articulation point by holding it with a tongue depressor.
A fun way to practice the rr sound is by competing for “The tongue cup”. Explain to the child that the tongue needs to be stronger than the blow to keep “The tongue cup”. Then, ask the child to place the tongue in the correct position and press it against the bumpy ridge as much as possible so that the blow cannot make the tongue move out of the mouth. Take turns competing for “The tongue cup” until the sound rr sound is produced correctly.
Another fun way to practice the rr sound is by “Turning on the motorcycle”. Invite the child to turn on the motorcycle by making the sound “rroon-rroon rroon-rroon” to see who has the most powerful motorcycle. Take turns “Turning on the motorcycle” until the sound is said correctly.
The r (tap) sound is mastered around 5 years old.
To produce the r sound, place the tip of the tongue up and back in the palate. Then let out the air explosively while the tongue sweeps the palate, from the back of the palate to front of the palate (on the bumpy ridge), before ending with the tongue tip down behind the lower front teeth.
A good way to reinforce the correct tongue placement for the production of the r sound is to put something tasty on the palate and ask the child to sweep it off with the tip of their tongue starting as far back as possible. Try using peanut butter, marshmallow cream or Nutella. You’d be surprised how fast the tongue tip goes up for a little chocolate!!!
A fun way to practice the production of the r sound is to pretend to be a windmill. Explain to the child that the tongue is a giant windmill blade that moves in a slow circular motion from back to front. Remember to make the sound of the air while moving the tongue. Take turns practicing the “Windmill” sound until the r sound is produced correctly.
Practicing a sound in syllables simply means adding a vowel after the target sound, before the target sound, or before and after the target sound allowing you to practice the target sound in all positions of syllables in which the sound occurs.
For example, if the target sound is ñ we would add a vowel before and after the ‘ñ’ sound since the ‘ñ’ sound only occurs in the medial position of words. Practice the sound in syllables like “año, iña” and “uñe.”
If the target sound is the r trill (rr) you could practice the sound in the initial or medial position of syllables like “rro, rra, rre,” or “arro, erro, orra.”
If the target sound is the r tap (r) then you could practice the sound in the medial or final position of syllables like “ara, aro, oru” or “ar, er, or.”
Once the child has mastered syllables they are ready to move on to words.
Just like syllables you have to practice the sound in all positions of the word in which the sound occurs in order to achieve mastery at the word level. The most common place to start practicing a target sound is in the beginning of words (initial position) unless the child is more successful with the sound in the middle (medial position) or at the end (final position) of words. You always want to start where the child will be the most successful and then you can build on their success as you practice the sound in other word positions.
As the child practices the sound in target words help them to recognize correct productions by recording their productions and playing them back for them. Then score their productions as correct, approximate (close but not quite right), or incorrect. If they are old enough you can have them score their own productions. When children learn to monitor their own productions their speech improves more rapidly. The flashcards activity in Articulation Station Español (as shown below) offers hundreds of flashcards to practice target words for different sounds. Scoring buttons are located to the right of each flashcard. Record and playback buttons are located on the left.
You can also practice their target words in fun games like matching games to keep their interest and make speech practice more fun.
When practicing sounds in phrases 2 word phrases are the easiest place to start. You can start by simply adding the article to the target words you have been practicing.
Once the two word phrases (target words + articles) have been mastered practice 3 word phrases. You can use the “Rotating Phrases” in Articulation Station Español to give you lots of fun and silly phrase combinations.
After two word phrases have been mastered move onto short 3-5 word phrases. The “Unique Phrases” in Articulation Station Español are a great next step!
Once the sound has been mastered in phrases you are ready to move on to sentences.
My favorite way to practice sounds in sentences is with a “rotating sentence”. In a rotating sentence the sentence stays the same and only the target word changes. I also like to have the sentences loaded with target sounds so the child gets extra practice with each sentence. For example the rotating sentence in Articulation Station Español for the ñ sound is: “El cumpleaños del niño se festejó con __________”
The child practices this sentence while rotating each target word through the sentence.
After rotating sentences have been mastered move on to the Unique Sentences in Articulation Station Español. Here there is a new sentence with each target word. The sentences are still loaded with target sounds maximizing the child’s opportunities for practice.
Once the child has mastered the sound in sentences look for simple stories to read with them that have a high frequency of the target sound in them. If you are working on the ñ sound for example you may choose a story about a birthday party.
If the child cannot read, read the story to them and ask them questions about the story. See if they can retell the story to you. If they use their target sound incorrectly while telling you the story have them say the word again correctly.
If the child can read have them read aloud to you while focusing on saying their target sound correctly. If they miss a sound encourage them to repeat the sentence in which the sound was missed.
Once the sound is mastered in stories the child is ready to practice the sound in conversation.
There’s a lot of fun ways you can practice the target sound in conversation. I like to use a conversation jar. Fill a jar with all kinds of questions like, “If you could have any animal for a pet what would it be and why?” or “Tell me about a time when you got really hurt.” or “Tell me about your favorite teacher.” This allows you to get to know more about the child while still having a controlled environment to track their progress in.
You may also consider centering conversation topics around some of the target words they have mastered. However you decide to do it be sure to set a specified time to focus on the correct production of the target sound during conversation. Be sure to correct any inaccurate productions of the target sound at this time.
Once the sound has been mastered in syllables, words, phrases, sentences, stories and in conversation you want to watch for generalization across all the contexts of language. If the child you are working with seems to be having difficulty generalizing the target sound go back and practice the words, phrases, sentences and stories again until they are able to produce the sound correctly in daily speech.
“First practice the sound in isolation, then in syllables, words, phrases, sentences, stories, conversation and finally generalizing the target sound in all contexts of language.”
A quick review… First practice the sound in isolation, then in syllables, words, phrases, sentences, stories, conversation and finally generalizing the target sound in all contexts of language. When this pattern is followed the child has a greater likelihood of success. The only thing that changes in this process is how to elicit the different sounds. This basic pattern of how to teach the sounds remains the same.
Articulation Station Español is a free download on the Apple App Store. It comes with the p sound program and includes all the activities I have described above. You can purchase any additional sounds your child needs help with from within the app.
Speech professionals, Articulation Station Español Pro comes with all the sound programs as well as the ability to add custom images, custom words lists, work in groups (up to 6) and phonological processes. Download Articulation Station Pro Español on the App Store.
To learn more about Articulation Station Español and Articulation Station Pro Español visit the Little Bee Speech website.
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- Assistive Technology
- Early Language Development
- Executive Function
- Hearing Loss
- Improving Articulation
- Language Delay
- Language Development
- Misc. Speech Resources
Ages & Stages
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What is a Speech Delay. A child is considered to have speech delay if his/her speech development is significantly below the norm for children of the same age. A child with speech delay has speech development that is typical of a normally developing child of a younger chronologic age. This meaning that the speech delayed child's skills are ...
Late language emergence (LLE) is a delay in language onset with no other diagnosed disabilities or developmental delays in other cognitive or motor domains. LLE is diagnosed when language development trajectories are below age expectations. Toddlers who exhibit LLE may also be referred to as "late talkers" or "late language learners."
There are many bilingual speech therapists who can help evaluate, diagnose, and treat communication issues in children. Common Signs of a Speech Delay. Here are some common signs that could signal a speech or language delay for kiddos between 18-30 months old: Understanding Language. Language includes much more than verbal language.
Speech therapy in Spanish, or "terapia del habla," delivered by bilingual speech pathologists, can help you communicate effectively. Language development is a crucial aspect of speech therapy, especially for Spanish speakers, as it lays the foundation for effective communication. In this article, we'll explore the importance of speech therapy ...
Translate Speech delay. See authoritative translations of Speech delay in Spanish with example sentences and audio pronunciations.
Spanish Late Talker Parent Handouts. My SPAINSH late talker handouts are FINALLY here and they a must for any late talker treatment program! If you have the English version of these handouts, they are the exact same but in Spanish. They were translated by my husband who is a native speaker of Spanish, married to a speech pathologist, and raised ...
Language Delay: A Definition. Language delay is defined as a delay in the production or development of language, above all in the spoken form. Language production is more delayed and develops slowly. The child is put in the "correct" level when they reach five or six years of age, even with no type of intervention.
At Speech Therapy Talk Membership, I am committed to making ALL materials in both English and Spanish. If you want to try some FREE Spanish Materials, complete the form below. You'll receive complimentary Spanish speech and language worksheets, therapy tips, and more. This is an excellent opportunity to sample the materials available at Speech ...
According to Doyle, bilingual children should hit the same speech milestones as children who only speak one language. You should notice if your child is cooing, babbling or making gestures by the time he or she reaches the 12-month mark. Between 9 -15 months, your child should begin to speak. For children at this age, Doyle says 50 words is ...
Speech is delayed. Children have normal comprehension, intelligence, hearing, emotional relationships, and articulation skills. Expressive language disorder is difficult to distinguish at
How to Teach the ñ Sound. This sound is mastered around 5 years old. To make the ñ sound part the lips slightly. Place the tip of the tongue behind the front teeth, covering the bumpy ridge while the back of the tongue touches the palate. Spread the tongue so that the sides of the tongue are touching the back teeth.
Delays in language. Delays in language are the most common types of developmental delay. One out of 5 children will learn to talk or use words later than other children their age. Some children will also show behavioral problems because they are frustrated when they can't express what they need or want. Simple speech delays are sometimes temporary.
More Help for a Speech Delay. For more simple tips you can use today, check out our parent handout: 25 Speech and Language Strategies (available here in Spanish!), designed to make speech and language learning easy on families. If you're not quite sure whether a speech delay is at play, learn more about developmental milestones and see if your little one is on track.
Acknowledge and applaud the effort your child does to answer. Agregue canciones a su día. Los niños adoran la música y aprenden de ella. Add songs to your day. Children love music and they learn from it. Balancee la conversación, tomen turnos para hablar y dele tiempo para responder.
Dec 14, 2017. Some people may mistakenly believe that raising a child in a bilingual household (meaning they speak more than one language) puts them at risk for language delays or a "silent period" when they might not speak at all. Language delays can still occur in bilingual children, but bilingualism itself is not the cause.
by Noel Hartman. Does growing up in a bilingual household create speech delays in children? The answer in the short term appears to be yes. Over the long term, however, children from bilingual homes tend to bounce back and may even derive special advantages from growing up in a household where both English and another language are spoken.
speech perception. speech praise. More translations in the Italian-English dictionary. Translation for 'speech delay' in the free English-Spanish dictionary and many other Spanish translations.
Common symptoms of a language delay include: not babbling by the age of 15 months. not talking by the age of 2 years. an inability to speak in short sentences by the age of 3 years. difficulty ...
Recognizing and addressing speech and language delays in young children involves a multidisciplinary approach, encompassing early identification, tailored interventions, parental involvement, and ...
Translation of "speech delay" into Spanish. retraso del habla is the translation of "speech delay" into Spanish. Sample translated sentence: In such children, motor speech delay does not presage mental backward ness. ↔ En estos niños el retraso motor del habla no presagia defectos mentales.
Speech & Language Delay. This PedsCases note provides a one-page overview about speech & language delay, including its risk factors, diagnosis, associated conditions and management. It was created by Selina Chow, a medical student at the University of Toronto with the help of Dr. Rhea D'Costa, a developmental pediatrician at the University of ...
Some children with expressive language delay "catch up" during the preschool years ("late bloomers"), whereas others have persistent delay (see 'Natural history' below). Early evaluation can help to correctly identify late-talking children who will benefit from intervention and/or additional evaluation. The developmental, psychosocial, and ...
A speech (sound) disorder is when children have difficulty pronouncing the sounds in words. This can make their speech difficult to understand, although they understand words and sentences and can form phrases and sentences the right way. If a child has a language delay that doesn't go away, it might be a sign of a developmental language ...
Gemiini is a clinically-proven program that provides therapy support videos, quizzes, and assessments for those with special needs like Autism , Down Syndrome, and Speech Delay. Our discrete video modeling method focuses on presenting one concept at a time to teach speech, language, reading, and behavioral skills. Learn More.