How to improve my (bi-lingual) child's speaking?

[SwindonMummy]

He is 3 years old and started preschool last month.
He is on the waiting list for the speach therapy assessment but I would like to know what else we could do to help him.

We don't have any family around here. My family lives abroad and husbands 1h flight away. We have moved into new town not long ago and friends live 100 miles away.

My son's world has been mom and dad. Little brother appeared earlier this year and that means mummy doesn't have so much time for big brother anymore. Although I try my best.

I speak my own language for him and daddy speaks english.

His speach is mostly mixture of two languages, broken english, badly pronounced words... He likes to talk alot but gets frustrated when people don't understand him.

Should we hire someone privately?
What qualifications should this person have?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Are you in the UK Swindon? If so, have a chat with your HV as some HVs and Children's Centres run groups for children with delayed speech and she may be able to refer you to one.

How long is the waiting list? DD had delayed speech but only had to wait a couple of weeks for and appointment to see a Speech & Language Therapist, she was sorted out in 6 sessions, so try not to worry too much.

Have you tried the Bi-lingual board on MN too?

Hopefully someone will be along soon with some more help shorty......

[adoptmama]

My two are also bilingual (I speak English with them and they both speak the language of where we live). DD2 was very late talking and I asked dr. about speech therapy and whether the bilingualism was an issue. She advised me that the speech therapist would advise me to read a lot to DD2 and send her to nursery to have a lot of peer examples of speech (was doing both already). Dr also said that speech delay & other issues are very, very normal in bilingual children. I think you are wise to have an assessment to make sure there are no developmental or physical reasons for your DS's difficulties. However please also be reassured that - whilst there are fantastic benefits to bilingualism - there can be some earlier 'issues' like delayed speech, language confusion and so on. DD2 is still a very, very indistinct talker and mixes both languages even with me (this mixing is normal); however her speech has taken off in the last 3 months - she is not the same child - and I am sure you DS will be the same. I would think that once he is in nursery he will really blossom with his language. Good luck.

[NotQuintAtAllOhNo]

He is only three, and only started preschool last month. You dont say what languages your family speak, of where you live.

I would give it a few more months, until he has settled in preschool.