Bilingualism

5 Facts About

English Language Learners (and How They're Awesome!)

  1. 27% of U.S. children under age 6 come from homes where at least one parent speaks a language other than English.1
  2. 71% of school-age children who are dual language learners come from homes where Spanish is spoken.2
  3. Maintenance of children's home language has important cultural value in families and facilitates the development of closer relationships between children and their caregivers and peers.3
  4. Research indicates that strong home language skills help build- and transfer to- developing English language skills.4
  5. Individuals who have continuous, high-quality exposure to more than one language from a young age have... more connectivity in regions of the brain associated with language processing, as well as memory, attention and other executive functions.5

Learning English as a second language can be a very challenging journey for children, educators, and caregivers. The First Book Marketplace is a resource hub for those working with English Language Learners and their families. We offer a variety of books in Spanish, as well as Spanish/English bilingual books, and many free tip sheets for you to share with parents to help families enjoy stories together both in their home language and in English.

Averican Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Learning More Than One Language

Every individual is unique. Development of more than one language depends on the type and amount of input you receive in all languages. It is important to understand that the process of learning a second language is NOT a language disorder.

The Advantages of Being Bilingual

Most children have the capacity and facility to learn more than one language.

Learning Two Languages

Find out more about when a child learns more than one language.

Second Language Acquisition

Learn more about the process of learning a language after already speaking another language.

Accent Modification

See information about services that a client may seek to improve difficulty communicating because of his or her accent.

All Children. One Love. | My mixed race ethnic ratios listed… | Flickr

How Does Bilingualism/Second-Language Learning Affect Fluency?

In young children who are bilingual or second-language learners, stuttering may be noticed when:

  • The child is mixing vocabulary (code mixing) from both languages in one sentence This is a normal process that helps the child increase his skills in the weaker language, but may trigger a temporary increase in disfluency.
  • The child is having difficulty finding the correct word to express his/her ideas resulting in an increase in normal speech disfluency.
  • The child is having difficulty using grammatically complex sentences in one or both languages as compared to other children of the same age. Also, the child may make grammatical mistakes. Developing proficiency in both languages may be gradual, so development may be uneven between the two languages.
  • Adding a second or third language between the ages of three and five years of age may cause stuttering to increase (become more severe). However, this may be the case only when: (1) the child's first language is not strong and/or the child is experiencing difficulties in her first language, (2) One language is used more than the other or, (3) the child resists speaking the additional language.

Recommendations and Suggestions for Parents

Will speaking to my child in two languages at home make him/her more likely to start stuttering?

No evidence has been found to suggest that speaking two languages in the home since birth causes stuttering. In fact, this may be the best time and the best way to input a second language.

My child has been receiving two languages in the home since birth and now he/she has started to stutter. What should I do?

If your child is bilingual and he or she begins to stutter, we recommend the following:

  1. Monitor the stuttering in the child's strongest language as that is generally where the most frequent stuttering would be noted.
  2. Follow the recommendations for stuttering prevention outlined in previous publications of the Stuttering Foundation.
  3. If stuttering persists for more than six months, see a speech pathologist specializing in stuttering.
  4. Avoid mixing vocabulary words from both languages when speaking to the child. In other words, speak one language at a time to the child.
  5. Allow the child to mix vocabulary in both languages, but then model the word in the primary language. Don't ask the child to repeat your model.

Will introducing my child to an additional (second, third, etc.) language between the ages of three and six years make him/her more likely to start stuttering?

There is no indication that teaching your child another language creates stuttering. Additional languages are often introduced around age four, which can be a critical age for both language learning and stuttering. However, if your child's language is not developing appropriately for his/her age or you notice the beginning signs of stuttering, you?ÿwill want to seek consultation with a speech pathologist and hold off on the introduction of an additional language until after age six. The literature suggests that introducing a second language as late as or even after grade six can result in proficiency.

My child has recently been introduced to an additional language and has also started to stutter. What should I do?

If your child is a second-language learner or a bilingual second-language learner and he or she begins to stutter, we recommend the following:

  1. Help your child with new/difficult words by prompting the word when you know what it is. For example, you can prompt your child by giving the first sound of the word, or by providing a cue about the word's meaning.
  2. When talking with your child, avoid mixing words from both languages in the same sentence or sentences.
  3. Allow your child to use words from both languages when he is speaking.
  4. When you notice your child having difficulty using vocabulary or grammar in the stronger language, it is important that you simplify your own language.

Bilingualism and Children with Language Disabilities

Is my child's language delayed because we speak too many languages?

It is commonly believed that children who learn more than one language start speaking later. This has not been shown by research. Bilingual children and monolingual children learn language at similar rates. Both groups say their first words between 9- and 14-months, use two-word combinations between 17- and 26-months, learn a vocabulary of 50 words by 2-years, and hold simple conversations by 3-years of age.

Children who learn two languages at the same time often know specific vocabulary only in one language. They may switching back and forth between two languages in one conversation, or even in the same sentence. These are normal behaviors for bilingual children and are not signs of confusion. It is easy to underestimate a bilingual child's language ability when the child's skills are only assessed in one language. Doing so misses the child's skills in the other language, so only a part of the child's abilities are being recognized.

Can my child learn two languages if he/she has a language disorder?

Around the world, most people use more than one language or dialect to get through a typical day. Many children, even those who have communication disabilities, have been observed to learn more than one language. They include children diagnosed with specific language impairment, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and intellectual disabilities, among others. These reports show that children with a variety of communication challenges can and do learn to use more than one language to different degrees.

My child has a language disorder. Will learning two languages make it worse?

Research comparing the language abilities of monolingual and bilingual children with Specific Language Impairment and Down Syndrome show that they are similar in the degree and types of language difficulties they display. Other findings show that children with language impairment acquire language more effectively when they are first taught in their strongest language. For example, one study showed that children who spoke Spanish as their dominant language learned English words faster when those words were first explained to them in Spanish.

If we don't speak English at home, will my child have a hard time communicating when he gets to school?

Children who learn English for the first time when they enter school or early intervention face the challenge of having to learn a new set of communication skills in addition to getting used to a new learning environment. Though this may seem like a daunting task, it is not an unusual situation, especially in a multicultural society such as that of the United States. Attending school in an unfamiliar language does not have to cause problems for the child academically, developmentally, socially, or emotionally. Children who receive the appropriate supports from their teachers can make this transition very successfully.

Summary

In conclusion, there is no evidence that bilingualism has negative effects on the language outcome of children with language disorders. In addition, language teaching through the use of two languages, especially with emphasis on a child's stronger language, may help both languages develop more quickly. More importantly, there are many social and emotional benefits that can result from learning the languages important to the family and the community.

Whether your child is developing language in a typical or unique manner, the question of whether you should speak one or two languages is less important than how to create the most language-rich environment. Communication should be meaningful and enjoyable for the whole family.

Video Discussion on Bilingualism and Children with Special Needs

Brenda K. Gorman, PH.D and John Consalvi, CEO of Lingua Health and Grupo Lingua, M.A. CCC-SLP, discuss the research supporting bilingualism for special needs children as well the importance of maintaining a family's native language and goals for bilingualism. (From GrupoLingua, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh2zoZUJwH4)

Red Flags for Speech-Language Impairment in Bilingual Children

Differentiate disability from disorder by understanding common developmental milestones.

Scott Prath, MA, CCC-SLP

ASHA Leader November 2016

“We have a bilingual student struggling to communicate. How do we know if he has a communication deficit or if learning a second language causes his difficulties?”

You breathe deeply and settle in for what you know involves a complicated response. Bilingual development is incredibly complex. It varies by languages involved, age of acquisition, settings where the student uses each language and many other factors. Any perusal of research on bilingualism would convince you of this complexity. However, there is a fairly simple, research-based way to get a sense of whether a child experiences true communication issues or just needs to adjust to a new language.

What if we talk about commonalities among most languages rather than differences? What if—for one minute—we set down the multitude of charts painting the arrays of differences among every language? Do you know what’s left? Developmental sequences valid for most children, regardless of home language. These sequences help us identify if a bilingual child is developing typically or if we should consider an evaluation.

Red flags for speech

Let’s start with speech development. Speech-language pathologists expect students to reach certain milestones on time and at an expected level of intelligibility. These developmental milestones remain consistent across multiple languages and for monolingual and bilingual children. For example, a kindergartener whose speech remains equally unintelligible in both of his languages raises concern, because research suggests typically developing children retain some sound errors, but are fully intelligible by age 4.

Typical developmental milestones consistent across numerous languages are listed in the chart below.

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Red flags for language

Language development follows a similar set of guidelines. Certain language building blocks develop in all children before and during early spoken language. Bilingual children develop early vocabulary at the same rate as monolingual children. Bilingual and monolingual children also meet one- and two-word milestones around the same time.

Early language building blocks remain similar—single words, lexical spurt, two-word phrases—so we want to take a deeper look at a child’s language development if they don’t develop these building blocks by the appropriate time (see graphic below).

General education curricula place huge importance on vocabulary development, so this seems like a good time to introduce the idea of conceptual scoring. If we evaluate vocabulary development using the same language between monolingual and bilingual children—English to English, for example—bilingual children might seem like they understand fewer words.

The environment influences a child’s word use, so a bilingual student might know his colors in English because they were taught at school. The same child identifies clothing articles in Spanish because he learned them at home. Conceptual scoring doesn’t mean giving extra credit if they know a word in both languages, such as “hola” and “hello.” It just means we count unique vocabulary in both languages and consider a full evaluation if the conceptual score (number of concepts) falls below that of their peers (see graphic below).

And now for my disclaimer (drumroll, please): I’m not advocating for anything less than a full bilingual evaluation to determine eligibility. However, we need to be able to identify when a concern warrants moving a child through the referral process. All children should meet these milestones and building blocks. If your student or client can’t demonstrate these abilities in one or both languages, feel confident about seeking a bilingual evaluation.

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Brookshire, B. L., Lynch, J. I., & Fox, D. R. (1980). A parent-child cleft palate curriculum: Developing speech and language. C. C. Publications.

Flipsen, P.Jr. (2009). Measuring the intelligibility of conversational speech in children. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 20(4), 303–312.

Pearson, B. Z. (1998). Assessing lexical development in bilingual babies and toddlers. The International Journal of Bilingualism, 2(3), 347–372.

Pearson, B. Z. & Fernandez, S. C. (1994). Patterns of interaction in the lexical growth of two languages of infants and toddlers. Language learning, 44(4), 617–653. [Article]

Pearson, B. Z., Fernandez, S. C., & Oller, D. K. (1993). Lexical development in bilingual infants and toddlers: Comparison to monolingual norms. Language Learning, 43(1), 93–120.[Article]

    • Scott Prath, MA, CCC-SLP, is the vice president of Bilinguistics in Austin, Texas, which provides services to children in schools and early childhood settings. He also writes for The Speech Therapy Blog. sprath@bilinguistics.com
    • © 2016 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

5 Facts About

English Language Learners (and How They're Awesome!)

1. 27% of U.S. children under age 6 come from homes where at least one parent speaks a language other than English.1

2. 71% of school-age children who are dual language learners come from homes where Spanish is spoken.2

3. Maintenance of children's home language has important cultural value in families and facilitates the development of closer relationships between children and their caregivers and peers.3

4. Research indicates that strong home language skills help build- and transfer to- developing English language skills.4

5. Individuals who have continuous, high-quality exposure to more than one language from a young age have... more connectivity in regions of the brain associated with language processing, as well as memory, attention and other executive functions.5

Learning English as a second language can be a very challenging journey for children, educators, and caregivers. The First Book Marketplace is a resource hub for those working with English Language Learners and their families. We offer a variety of books in Spanish, as well as Spanish/English bilingual books, and many free tip sheets for you to share with parents to help families enjoy stories together both in their home language and in English. http://www.fbmarketplace.org/ First Book Marketplace

Citations 1Capps, R., Fix, M., Ost, J., Reardon-Anderson, J. & Passel, J. (2004). The Health and Well-Being of Young Children of Immigrants. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. 2Ruiz Soto, A.G., Hokker, S. & Batalova, J. (2015). Top Languages Spoken by English Language Learners Nationally and by State. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.3August, D. & Shanahan, T. (2006). Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on language-minority children and youth. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum and Halle, T.G. Whaittaker, J.V., Zepeda, M., Rothenberg, L., Anderson, R., Daneri, P., & Buysse, V. (2014). The social-emotional development of dual language learners: Looking back at existing research and moving forward with purpose. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(4), 734-749. 4Carlo, M., Barr, C., August, D., Calderon, M. & Artzi, L. (2014). Language of instruction as moderator for transfer of reading comprehension skills among Spanish-speaking English language learners. Bilingual Research Journal, 37(3), 287-310. 5Kaiser, A., Eppenberger, S., Smieskova, R., Borgwardt, S., Keuenzli, E., Radue, E., and Bendfeldt, K. (2015). Age of second language acquisition in multilinguals has an impact on grey matter volume in language-associated brain areas. Name: Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 638.