Does bilingualism cause language delays?

In this post, I will answer some of the most common questions I receive from parents who speak more than one language in their home or who have children learning a second language. First we need to recognize that every family is different. In one family, parents may speak two languages in their home and their children are simultaneously learning two languages. In another home, parents and their children may speak only one language (L1), their home language, while their children are exposed and learn a different language (L2) while they attend daycare, school or maybe have a caregiver other than their parents who does not speak the home language. Regardless of what the scenario is, it is important to understand that in none of these scenarios, you need to be concerned about exposing your child to more than one language.

Over the years, I have heard many parents discuss their concerns regarding their child's language delays. I commonly hear things like "my child seems confused" or "my child is mixing languages". This next ones breaks my heart, but it does happen. "My doctor told me to stop speaking to my child in two languages, so I did". When I ask the follow up question "What language do you speak to your child in then?" I often get "English" as the response, even though the family may not be proficient in it. In this scenario, instead of the child's parents speaking to him or her in their native language, which they are proficient in, the child is getting models of a language they aren't proficient in. The language model parents are providing in this scenario is not ideal. We need to honor a family's language no matter what language that is. That means that as a parent, you never stop using your family's native language and if someone tells you or asks you to do so, please advocate for your child, your language and your culture and do not do it. As speech therapists, we want you to speak to your child in your native language and honor your family's language, culture and traditions so you can continue developing a special and long lasting bond with your child.

If you are concerned about your child's speech and language skills, please consult your concerns with a bilingual speech and language pathologist trained in identifying speech and language delays in bilingual individuals.