Does learning English in children with developmental/language delays further slow their language development?! Misconceptions and Truths

This is a question we often hear from bilingual families raising children with developmental delays, or from parents of children with developmental delays considering immigrating to the United States.

"Is it right to teach my child two languages? He doesn't even speak Korean perfectly well right now..."

I fully understand that you can't avoid teaching English, and that teaching it can be a challenge. However, contrary to parents' concerns, recent research shows that bilingualism for children with developmental delays can bring more benefits than you might think .

Misconception>> Bilingual environments worsen developmental delays (or language delays).

Many parents worry that bilingual exposure will further delay their child's language development. However, research has not shown that bilingual exposure delays language development.

According to a study by Hambly and Fombonne (2012), bilingual children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) did not experience additional language delays compared to children with monolingual ASD. . 

A more recent study, by Ward and Sanoudaki (2021), compared bilingual children with Down syndrome with typically developing children and found that language status (bilingual vs. monolingual) did not affect their expressive and receptive language skills, or phonological awareness. Even if children with Down syndrome exhibited language impairment, it was unrelated to bilingualism.

Rather, several studies have reported that bilingualism can help improve cognitive flexibility and social communication skills in children with developmental delays .

The Truth: The Benefits of Bilingualism

Bilingualism can offer several benefits to children with developmental delays, just as it does to typically developing children:

1. Cognitive flexibility and executive function:

Many studies have shown that bilingualism improves attention and cognitive control. Could similar effects apply to children with developmental delays or disabilities?

A study by Peristeri et al. (2021) found that bilingualism can improve cognitive flexibility and executive functioning in children with developmental delays. Bilingual children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) showed improved task-switching and attentional abilities compared to monolingual children with ASD.

A study by Gonzalez-Barrero and Nadig (2019) also reported that bilingual children with ASD performed better on some executive function tasks than monolingual children with ASD.

2. Social communication skills:

A study by Valicenti-McDermott et al. (2013) found that bilingual children with ASD used more vocalizations and gestures than monolingual children with ASD, suggesting that bilingualism may support the development of social communication skills.

3. Wider communication opportunities:

Even if learning a foreign language isn't strictly bilingual, learning a foreign language, especially English, is crucial for children with developmental delays. With so many resources and online digital platforms available in English, learning a foreign language can expand children's learning opportunities.

Knowing more language and vocabulary means you have more ways to express your thoughts and feelings, which can broaden your communication range and improve your ability to express yourself.

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Today, we briefly covered bilingual learning for children with developmental or language delays. While research has shown various benefits, appropriate educational methods and support are necessary, taking into account each child's individual abilities and circumstances.

Please choose the appropriate bilingual education that suits your child's developmental level through consultation with expert teachers who can evaluate your child in more detail :)

 

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Reference:

Hambly, C., & Fombonne, E. (2012). The impact of bilingual environments on language development in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of autism and developmental disorders , 42 (7), 1342–1352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1365-z

Gonzalez-Barrero, A. M., & Nadig, A. S. (2019). Can Bilingualism Mitigate Set-Shifting Difficulties in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders?. Child development , 90 (4), 1043–1060. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12979

Peristeri, E., Vogelzang, M., & Tsimpli, I.M. (2021). Bilingualism Effects on the Cognitive Flexibility of Autistic Children: Evidence From Verbal Dual-Task Paradigms. Neurobiology of language (Cambridge, Mass.) , 2 (4), 558–585. https://doi.org/10.1162/nol_a_00055

Valicenti-McDermott, M., Tarshis, N., Schouls, M., Galdston, M., Hottinger, K., Seijo, R., Shulman, L., & Shinnar, S. (2013). Language differences between monolingual English and bilingual English-Spanish young children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of child neurology , 28 (7), 945–948. https://doi.org/10.1177/0883073812453204

Ward, R., & Sanoudaki, E. (2021). Language profiles of Welsh-English bilingual children with Down syndrome. Journal of communication disorders , 93 , 106126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106126