< Return to Talk
06.01.04, 15:16 PM New York City
34 replies
Any bi-lingual parents out there whose children's language was delayed? [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
New York City 06.01.04, 03:16 PM Flag
 

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I'm not sure if she's delayed yet, but I am just a tiny bit concerned about this. My 17 mo dd can say around 13 words but I know he understands a lot more. He just doesn't seem very interested in talking and likes to "sign" words instead. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.01.04, 03:19 PM Flag
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That's not delayed. Don't worry!! Your baby is fine. :) [ Reply | More
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General Topics 12.03.16, 09:50 PM Flag
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My dd is being raised bilingual (Engl./Italian). SHe's 18 m. and has perhaps 50 words, 20 of which she uses regularly. Is this delayed? I don't know, but I do have the feeling (intuition?) that, had she been momolingual, she would be communicating MO more by now. She does have great receptive language, though, in both languages. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.01.04, 03:24 PM Flag
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Wow, 50 sounds like a lot. What do you count as words? Can you list some of the words she says? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.01.04, 03:26 PM Flag
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Sure. Almost all of her *spoken* words are English. She has the standard list of expressions "uh-oh", "bye-bye", "hi", "yum-yum". Also mamma, papa, cat, cup, car, bowl, spoon, book, and probably 20 or 25 other nouns. "Happy" and "hot" are the only adjectives I've heard her use. In Italian - gatto (cat), cognilio (rabbit)and perhaps a couple of others (since her father speaks Italian to her, he also hears more of her Italian, such as it is). We'll be in Italy this summer w/ family, and I'm hoping it will help her spoken Italian catch up w/ her receptive Italian. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.01.04, 03:38 PM Flag
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DH is Italian but doesn't speak to her in it - any suggestions for an Italian toddler teacher or class? Or playgroup ? Grazie ! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 01.06.15, 05:02 PM Flag
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Not delayed. This is great. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 12.03.16, 09:51 PM Flag
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My niece was delayed a little because mom spoke one language and dad spoke another. By the time she was 3-4, she was speaking age-appropriately for both languages. Now at 8, she is fluent in both. Ped said it is common. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.01.04, 03:28 PM Flag
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10 words at 12 months, stopped talking for many months (enrolled in EI for 6 months) (M) now at 3 she is age appropriate in 2 languages (the two spoken at home) and knows a lot of a 3rd that she speaks in her preschool. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.01.04, 03:42 PM Flag
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This is typical of bilingual children. I've read they catch up by age 6, and develop information processing skills that are unique to bilingual kids. Our DD is 17 months old, and she has roughly 15 words under her belt, but sh understands both languages quite well, and follows instructions in both. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.21.13, 12:49 PM Flag
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That's a misconception. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 05.07.16, 03:44 AM Flag
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+1 [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.16.17, 01:52 PM Flag
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Nope, if a kid is going to be delayed, they will be delayed. Bilingual doesn't make kids delayed. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.16.17, 01:50 PM Flag
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STOP. your sentence is ridiculous. We all know this. We are discussing the MISCONCEPTION that speaking two languages to a child causes delay. It does not. Never has. Never will [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.31.19, 03:32 PM Flag
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The two are not related. Bilingualism does not cause delays. Give up the second language and you will simply have a monolingual child with delays. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 01.06.15, 05:03 PM Flag
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You keep repeating this but it’s not true. If it’s age appropriate for a DC to know 100 words, the DC will know 50 in each language and will appear delayed in both languages. But this all smoothes out around 6-7 years. Then they are age appropriate in both languages. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 05.12.18, 05:42 PM Flag
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According to our pediatrician, bilingual kids should be able to speak the same number of words as a monolingual kids, but those words may be split between the two languages. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 02.22.15, 06:24 AM Flag
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I'm the poster with the 13yo below. In France they do believe that bilingual kids start speaking laterI argued this with my doctors and speech therapists but the didn't believe me [ Reply | More
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General Topics 05.10.16, 10:08 PM Flag
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I have also read this. My ds was fine. No issue with a delay. SIL's baby did have a delay as a monolingual child, but is catching up with speech therapy. He's very bright but has a communication disorder. Taught himself to read early on, but struggles with forming his own complex sentences. The bilingual "delay" mentioned is very different from this type. Just saying some kids with two languages take a little longer to hit their comfort zone. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 12.03.16, 09:54 PM Flag
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Your ped is WRONG [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.31.19, 03:33 PM Flag
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My son is bilingual, didn't speak until he was 3, it was a nightmare, lots of temper tantrums. He was born in nyc, 13 years ago, we live in France now and his English is not great as I'm the only one speaking English to him [ Reply | More
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General Topics 05.10.16, 10:05 PM Flag
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Wow m [ Reply | More
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General Topics 04.08.17, 08:44 PM Flag
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My kids were not delayed. I think if they are going to have delayed languge, they will whether they are bilingual or not. Don't drop the second language. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 12.22.16, 05:43 PM Flag
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Teacher here: several. It all works out though their little brains are ready for the challenge! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 04.08.17, 08:35 PM Flag
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I think language delays in bilingual kids is mostly a myth. I'm a school psychologist. We go back and forth about this so much at my school. A lot of times when bilingual students are found to have a learning disability or speech/language impairment, the parent insists it's because the child was raised with two languages. I think the only delay is in determining the child's special need because clinicians want to give the child the benefit of the doubt. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.16.17, 01:59 PM Flag
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I have 2 DCs, both grew up with 4 languages (mine, Dah’s, English and another at immersion school). The first one was always a talker, very quick witted etc. She is truly fluent in my language and English. DH’s and school language. Are like very good foreign languages to her. The second DC was a different story - she had troubles speaking and expressing herself at first, she also still has a bit of an issue understanding. But she is almost equal in all 4 languages. But she’s only now slowly getting up to speed in English and my language (which are our main languages). They are 7 and 9. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 12.04.17, 08:25 PM Flag
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^ i don’t remember how many words she knew by age 2 or 3, but the difference to her older sister was striking. It didn’t help that her older sister always talked over the little sister, never let her finish a sentence etc. This led to conflict. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 12.04.17, 08:27 PM Flag
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This is exactly the same situation in my family - 4 languages, first DC is a talker and is amazing in 2 languages, very good in 1 and the fourth one is so-so. Little DC learned much slower but is equally good in all 4 languages. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 05.12.18, 05:44 PM Flag
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Bilingualism does NOT cause delays. If your child is delayed and you stop the second language, he will still be delayed in the first language. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 12.04.17, 08:31 PM Flag
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Not true. My DC’s friend got very confused by the second language, was told to drop it and now does very well. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 05.12.18, 05:45 PM Flag
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They don’t get confused. They don’t. Your friend listened to the wrong professional. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.31.19, 03:34 PM Flag
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Bilingual upbringing does not cause language delay. If there is a delay, it's not because language confusion, it's because there's some processing issue at play. If your preschool teacher or your pediatrician claims it's because there are two languages spoken at home or one at home and one at school, you must find a good specialist who can do proper evaluation. There are million studies that show that multiple language exposure does not cause delay. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 12.04.17, 09:48 PM Flag
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Please do t let idiots tell you this. Hi lingual is a tremendous gift. They often speak later but are fluent in both. The mind is amazing. Do. Not. Listen. To. Anyone. Who. Says. You. Need. To. Stop. One. Of. The languages. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.31.19, 03:29 PM Flag
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American healthcare wrong on this one. They will catch up to the rest of the world. Have you ever wondered why Americans are monolingual? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.31.19, 03:36 PM Flag
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