Pediatricians notice first
You asked around for a good pediatrician, and several of your friends recommended the same person. Within minutes of visiting her you quickly see why. She easily answers all of your questions and concerns when it comes to your three-year-old. At the same time she’s also warm and caring, and your daughter and the pediatrician become fast friends. And to top it all off, she speaks your native tongue!
It’s now time for her annual checkup. Physically everything looks good. The pediatrician starts talking to your daughter in your native language, and suddenly she has this curious look on her face. She continues to ask your daughter questions, but this time with a thoughtful and very focused expression. When their conversation is over, she says something you never would have expected in a million years:
“I think your child needs to see a speech and language pathologist for an evaluation.”
She must be kidding, right? Your daughter is smart, and she speaks English as well as your native language. The pediatrician must have made a mistake somewhere.
Or did she?
Bilingualism myths
First of all, let’s take a second to debunk some bilingualism myths. Teaching kids to speak two languages doesn’t cause speech delays. In fact, there are awesome benefits when it comes to kids being able to speak more than one language.
Another myth: being bilingual leads to a higher chance of developing a speech or language disorder. Not true.
Kids who are bilingual reach the same language milestones as monolingual kids. In other words, when it comes to language development, the markers are the same for monolingual and bilingual kids. For example, both kids who are monolingual and bilingual usually say their first word around the time they turn one, by one and a half to two years of age they should have a 50 word vocabulary, between two to three years of age they can answer simple questions, etc.
Another big myth is that children who are bilingual will struggle in school. This is false. In fact, being bilingual can lead to some amazing advantages, such as a greater ability to focus, better memory, a better grasp of social skills, etc.
Now you’re probably wondering, if all this is true, then how can you tell when a bilingual child needs speech services?
Identifying red flags
A bilingual child with speech and language delays or disorders will have them in both languages. The best way to identify this red flag is with a bilingual speech-language pathologist (SLP). What makes this difficult is that there aren’t a lot of bilingual speech-language pathologists out there, or they are bilingual but don’t speak your language.
The next best thing is a monolingual speech-language pathologist working hand in hand with a interpreter. Now if an interpreter isn’t available, it’s not impossible for a monolingual speech-language pathologist to make an accurate diagnosis, but their observation would be focused heavily on the child’s behavior and other things, not just speech and language.
False red flags
Often bilingual kids develop certain speech and language habits as they learn two languages. These habits or patterns can be mistaken for false red flags when in fact they are normal. Some of these behaviors are:
- Errors made in speaking as a child switches between two different languages
- Pausing or not speaking at all, even though a child understands exactly what’s being said to them or asked of them, because they don’t have the words yet to say what they want to
- Starting a sentence with one language and ending it in another
- Losing fluency in one language, but only because they are focusing on and learning the other one more
- Having difficulty pronouncing certain sounds in English because those sounds aren’t used in their other language
The sooner the better
As always, it’s up to the parent to decide what is best for their child. But even though they aren’t qualified speech-language pathologists, pediatricians can be the first ones to catch a speech and language delay. If this is the case, seek help from a bilingual speech-language pathologist if possible, or one working in conjunction with a interpreter. If neither one is an option, seek out the help of a speech-language pathologist who has been trained and has experience spotting speech and language delays in bilingual children even if she is not bilingual herself.
Finally, when it comes to knowing your child, you are the ultimate professional. If you sense that there’s something wrong, contact a speech-language pathologist as soon as possible. Don’t wait to see what happens, in the hopes that it turns out to be nothing. Of course, every child is unique, and no set of circumstances are ever alike. That being said, studies have shown, time and time again, the earlier a child receives services, the better it is in the long run.