Multilingual children speech delay: The only delay is our delay to understand them!

Multilingual children: speech delay?

The misconception surrounding speech delay in multilingual children may arise from the perception of parents who believe that their child's vocabulary and sentence production is slower compared to monolingual peers. Although multilingual children may have a smaller vocabulary in each language individually, scientific evidence suggests that their overall vocabulary size is comparable when considering all the languages. It is crucial to understand that multilingualism itself is not the cause of language difficulties. Language delay is unrelated to the number of languages a child speaks. If your child has received a diagnosis of language or speech delay, rest assured that raising them in different languages will not have any detrimental effects or exacerbate the delay.

The only delay is our delay to understand them

Any perceived delay in speech or comprehension is primarily on our part as observers or listeners, rather than indicating an actual delay or problem in the children's language development.

Let's consider the example of a 2-year-old child. By this age, they can comprehend approximately 200 words and are capable of speaking around 50 of them. If these words belong to a single language, the child can express themselves more easily. However, when the words come from multiple languages, it becomes more challenging for the child to construct meaningful sentences in any one language. It's important for us to recognize that this effort on their part will benefit them in the future, fostering skills in understanding and problem-solving. In the meantime, it is our responsibility to show empathy and understanding when they speak in a way that may seem unconventional or unusual.

 

Is there any indication of speech delay in the depicted scenario? 

As observed, both children, one being monolingual and the other multilingual, demonstrate comparable levels of comprehension and memory. The disparity lies in the fact that the monolingual child has more opportunities to select words that fit coherently within a sentence. What we can observe here is a temporary 'delay' in our ability to understand them, without any underlying issues beyond that.

Language mixing

One of the most prevalent misconceptions surrounding bilingualism and multilingualism is the erroneous belief that it hinders children's language development when they use different languages within a single sentence or utterance. Many individuals mistakenly view children's language mixing as a sign of confusion. However, the reality is quite the opposite. Research has demonstrated that a multilingual child's languages develop independently from one another. When your toddler mixes languages, you will observe that the sentences maintain grammatical correctness and adhere to the structure of the core language. It showcases the remarkable resourcefulness of your child. 

If they encounter a word they don't know in one language, their brain engages in problem-solving mode and retrieves it from the other language. 

As your child's vocabulary expands in both languages, the mixing will gradually diminish over time. 

Experiences

Katie: I am a nanny and babysitter for over 10 years. Every kid is different, and 18 months is usually still a lot of babbling.

Claudia: My son and I are both bilingual. Initially, he had a slight language delay, and I was advised to pause speaking Italian until his Bosnian improved. However, I ignored that advice, and it turned out to be the right choice. By age 3, he was one of the most advanced speakers in his daycare, surprising his teacher with his bilingual abilities. By 4, he was perfectly bilingual, and by 5, he could read in Italian. Bilingualism enhances brain development and boosts children's intelligence, which is why they often excel despite a slower start. It's a precious gift that should not be overlooked.

Lia: My daughter didn't really start talking until 2 and a half years old. Prior to that, she only had a few words and not full sentences. I speak Portuguese to her, while her father speaks French, and we communicate in English with each other. I held my breath with concern, but now, at 4 years old, she is truly fluent in both Portuguese and French, and her English skills are also remarkable. Don't lose hope; persistence pays off.

For more 👉 Multilingual education

Resources

Two or More Languages in Early Childhood, Annick De Houwer, University of Antwerp and Science Foundation of Flanders, Belgium

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

Raising Bilingual Kids & Little Global Citizens Bilingual kidspot

Handbook of Multilingualism and Multilingual Communication by Li Wei, Peter Auer

Bibliography

"Assessing Multilingual Children: Disentangling Bilingualism from Language Impairment" by Sharon Armon-Lotem, Jan de Jong, and Natalia Meir.
"Bilingual: Life and Reality" by François Grosjean
"Multilingualism: A Very Short Introduction" by John C. Maher
"Raising A Bilingual Child: A step-by-step guide for parents" by Barbara Zurer Pearson
"Dual Language Development & Disorders" by Johanne Paradis, Fred Genesee, Martha Crago