What is Normal in Bilingual Language Development?
Bilingualism does not cause speech delays.
If you are raising a child with two or more languages, please give yourself credit for immense effort you are making to give the beautiful gift of bilingualism to your child. Please do not stop!
It can be incredibly confusing to figure out if your child’s speech development is exactly where it needs to be or if they are experiencing a true delay. When you are feeling anxious, it is easy to wonder if you should drop one language and stick only to English. However, scientific research shows that Bilingualism does not cause or worsen speech delays.
Here are a few key factors to consider that I hope will give you a little insight into what is typical development:
Factors to Consider: Typical Development vs. Delay
Typical Bilingual Development
Going through a "silent period" when exposed to a brand-new language (listening more than talking for a few weeks or months).
Mixing languages is the same sentence. If a child says, "Look at the big perro!" they are not confused. They are simply using their entire available vocabulary to build a complete sentence.
Mixing grammar rules from both languages. (ex: “The dog black.”for “El perro negro.”)
May answer in one language even when spoken to in another.
May know a word in one language but not the other. Count words across all languages.
Signs of a Possible Speech or Language Delay
Does not respond to their name or simple gestures (like pointing) by 12 months.
Has fewer than 10–20 total words or signs across all languages by about 18 months.
Does not use spontaneous two-word phrases by age two.
Struggles significantly to understand instructions in both home languages.
Is very difficult for close family members to understand by age three.
Keep Going—You Are an Amazing Parent!
Nurturing two or more languages takes time, patience, and lots of repetition, and I applaud you for giving this beautiful gift for your child! I know how much difference it has made in my life that my parents gave me this wonderful gift! Here are some fun games that are inexpensive that you can play with your child to encourage multilingual language development.
If you still have questions, please reach out—I'm here to help. It would be an honor to partner with you to support communication, connection, and confidence at every stage of life.
I provide multilingual speech-language therapy in English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese for children, teens, and adults. Services are available in your home throughout Leander, Cedar Park, and North Austin, as well as through teletherapy anywhere in Texas.
If you'd like to read more about bilingual language development , these articles I wrote may be helpful:
If you'd like to learn more about my therapy approach, these articles I wrote may be helpful: