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Speech problem with a bilingual child

25 replies

Pitchounette · 16/10/2008 11:08

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annasmami · 16/10/2008 14:21

From what I have read and experienced, bilingualism does not slow down children's speech development. Bilingual children generally do not talk later than monolingual children.

Like monolingual children, bilingual children are all different and develop at different rates. My dd, for example, started talking quite early in both languages (English, German). However my ds is now 4.5 years and has only just recently started talking properly and he still makes mistakes in both languages. Last summer (when he was 3.6 years) his pronounciation was still very poor and difficult to understand (he too often missed the first letter of words)

I think 3.6 years is still quite young and I wouldn't worry about it, but I do not think his development is affected by his bilingualism. If you are concerned at all, talk it over with your health visitor who could arrange a referral to a speech therapist.

MrsMills · 16/10/2008 14:33

It has been proven time after time that speech problems cannot be connected with the amount of languages a child is learning.

My ds2(4.10) is bilingual (English/Swedish), and also suffers from a general speech delay. He sees a speech therapist who specialises in bilingual children, and it is a common misconception.

Your son is still young but if you have concerns speak to your health visitor.

(You need to speak to Moondog, she's fab at this sort of thing)

Anna8888 · 16/10/2008 14:35

Can you find a bilingual speech therapist and have him checked out?

My daughter (3.11) does various odd things with language, but nothing that worries me. Various oddities have already self-corrected. They seem to come and go.

Interested in this thread?

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BriocheDoree · 16/10/2008 18:33

My DD is 4.5 and has a language disorder. We are English and live in France. I've been given to understand that you really need to worry when neither language is spoken properly. If one language is age-appropriate that is a good sign. However, like all the others say, no harm in seeing a speech therapist to get it checked out. Had quite a few friends whose kids have been to see a speech therapist because of delays in one or other language and usually a few sessions and exercises have cleared it up and set their minds at rest. We thought DD was just slow because she was bilingual and it turns out she has quite a serious language impairment, so I'm pretty glad I checked it out when I did!

moondog · 16/10/2008 22:57

Being bilingual would have no bearing on this.
it doesn't sound terribly serious (although it must be added that my area of professional interest is in people with no or minimal language). Children of 3.5 often don't speak clearly.

Beware of being assessed (if you do) by some numpty who may tell you that being bilingual has caused it. (Choosing to ignore the fact that over half the world is bilingual,monolinguals being in the monority.)

SALTS shouldn't say these things (not in UK at least) but i have heard frightening stories of shite advice being given so please beware.

BriocheDoree · 17/10/2008 08:22

Actually, Moondog, bit of a thread hijack, but could I pick your brains about the whole thorny bilingual thing...aren't I right in thinking that your DD is bilingual with SLI?

Pitchounette · 17/10/2008 10:56

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cory · 17/10/2008 11:36

As other say, not likely to be due to bilingualism; oth not that unusual in such a young child. He may or may not need speech therapy later on.

cory · 17/10/2008 11:37

Ds was very late in pronouncing some Swedish sounds, he seemed to find their English counterparts easier. I was worried and felt guilty until I went back to Sweden and heard some Swedish children.... Seems some sounds just take longer to learn.

moondog · 17/10/2008 18:55

Pitch, search throungh this site
There may be some bilingual SALTs who practice privately.

I speak French but I don't practice privately.

Yes BD, that is right.

Othersideofthechannel · 17/10/2008 19:05

Pitchounette, DD is 3.10 and has some problems in pronouncing some sounds in English and some sounds in French.

Eg She says 'lellow' for 'yellow'.

In French she says 'rand' for 'grand'

She is at school in France and her teachers haven't pointed it out as a problem. Some of her monolingual peers have similar difficulties with prononciation in French.

Moondog, at what age do professionals tend to think it is a problem if a child is still not speaking clearly?

BriocheDoree · 17/10/2008 19:05

Ok, well, thread hijack then...
DD is at French school full-time, with no support other than a very understanding teacher (though hoping to get 1 to 1 in place by next year when she's 5). At home we speak English. She gets 1/2 hour per week of English SALT.
English SALT feels DD is making progress and that as she's currently very receptive we should be doing more to progress her English. She feels that if DD were in the UK she'd be in a language unit rather than mainstream school seeing SALT 4 or 5 times a week. We can't see English SALT more often because we can't afford it and we also can't take her out of school any more than we do (she comes out one half day per week and I drive her to another town to see English SALT).
Only reason she sees English SALT is because I've always been given to understand that she should do speech therapy in her mother tongue. Her English is much better than her French if only at roughly 2.5 year old level. However, she pretty much HAS to learn French because that's where we live. Almost beginning to wonder if I should get French SALT as well, or even try to find bilingual SALT just so that she gets more input in both languages. I really like English SALT and so does DD, but she can't advise me at all on bilingual problems and doesn't speak French well enough to work alongside DD's school. I suppose my question is this: should I be taking DD to French SALT instead (which would be reimbursed) or should I be trying to find bilingual one, or do I continue with English as that's her mother tongue and just try and do as much with her at home in isolation as she can only have the one half hour per week?

moondog · 17/10/2008 19:09

I'll come back to this.
Gotta go to the opening of my lovely artist friend's latest exhibition

moondog · 17/10/2008 22:48

Other. Maybe 5ish but it varies. What you describe is something that would not concern me in the slightest.

Brioche, I work with mostly bilingual people who present with all sorts of communication disorders. The profile tends to be pretty even across languages (apart from in the case of very young children who have not yet been exposed to either Welsh or English yet).

There is a Welsh only policy in schools here but with some children we might do work in English if that is the mother tongue. In special schools there is a bilingual policy.

It's a shame your salt can't advise you on her profile in French if she doesn't speak it well. How does she convey the nature of your dd's needs to the school staff?

A therapy programme/set of goals is of limited use unless everyone involved with the child understands them and uses them.
The days of SALTs being nice ladies in pearls who whisk children off for 1/2 an hour a week to 'therap' them have long gone-or should have done.

We are a Welsh speaking family and it is important to us that our children have a strong grasp of Welsh. My dh works abroad and one of the reasons I have not joined him f/t is that I feel my dd would struggle in an English medium school which would impact upon her Welsh.

I find that emerging literacy skills often really help a child get a handle on stuff. Almost like finding the right peg on which to hang a coat. If yuor dd is about 5/6, you might like to consider following the online Headsprout reading programme

It is the subject om my MSc. Designed for neurologically typical kids but i am looking at how kids with comm. disorders cope. I am trialling it with two Welsh speaking kids and two English speaking kids.

It has an impeccable research based background.

My own dd did it and loved it. Her reading in English has improved beyond belief with concomitant lang. development.

Othersideofthechannel · 18/10/2008 07:11

Thanks Moondog. I'm not concerned either.

Pitchounette, because of this thread I've realised that since DD was 3.6 (ie in the last 3 months) she has learnt how to say a couple of sounds that she hadn't mastered previously.

Pitchounette · 18/10/2008 17:59

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BriocheDoree · 19/10/2008 15:08

Moondog, thanks...I think you are confirming my suspicion that much as DD and I love her SALT we really need to get her seen by someone bilingual who can talk to her school.
I've seen the headsprout link before and have already made a note of it (in the SN section). I think it looks excellent but DD is not quite ready yet I would say, so am def. keeping it in mind for when she is as I also assumed that reading would help lang. development.
Hope you enjoyed your exhibition: looked v. good!

tichey · 28/02/2009 20:30

Sorry to hijack this thread too - I hope you all don't mind. I have just posted a thread about my daughter (2.5 year old bilingual daughter - understands everthing, says hardly anything - advice?) I was hoping moondog would not mind looking at my thread and seeing if she recognises any of the characteristics.. thank you...

tichey · 28/02/2009 20:30

Sorry to hijack this thread too - I hope you all don't mind. I have just posted a thread about my daughter (2.5 year old bilingual daughter - understands everthing, says hardly anything - advice?) I was hoping moondog would not mind looking at my thread and seeing if she recognises any of the characteristics.. thank you...

tichey · 28/02/2009 20:30

Sorry to hijack this thread too - I hope you all don't mind. I have just posted a thread about my daughter (2.5 year old bilingual daughter - understands everthing, says hardly anything - advice?) I was hoping moondog would not mind looking at my thread and seeing if she recognises any of the characteristics.. thank you...

tichey · 28/02/2009 20:30

Sorry to hijack this thread too - I hope you all don't mind. I have just posted a thread about my daughter (2.5 year old bilingual daughter - understands everthing, says hardly anything - advice?) I was hoping moondog would not mind looking at my thread and seeing if she recognises any of the characteristics.. thank you...

tichey · 28/02/2009 20:30

Sorry to hijack this thread too - I hope you all don't mind. I have just posted a thread about my daughter (2.5 year old bilingual daughter - understands everthing, says hardly anything - advice?) I was hoping moondog would not mind looking at my thread and seeing if she recognises any of the characteristics.. thank you...

Pitchounette · 28/02/2009 21:26

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cory · 04/03/2009 18:17

I was quite unhappy about ds's Swedish pronunciation until I went back to Sweden and heard other 6-year-olds. Apparently it is very common not to be able to do rolling r's at this age and some vowels also seem to come late.

tichey · 04/03/2009 20:25

Is it not strange? My DD can actually manage a good rrr but cannot do l at all. I have just received a book from amazon that I ordered called "speech and language problems" which has scared be quite a bit - it focuses on language disorders and all the things it can lead to. I am trying to keep positive at the moment, and hoping that dd only has a speech delay, and not a speech disorder...

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