Bilingualism or Speech Delay?

Bilingualism or Speech Delay?

by | Sep 26, 2016 | news

Today, more and more parents are raising their children in a bilingual home either because at home one parent speaks another language or because they want to enroll their children in bilingual schools. However, there is an idea that this lifestyle affects children's language development, or I have even found language therapists who recommend not exposing children to a second language, discouraging attempts and wasting the benefits of bilingualism.

It is important to know how to differentiate between the characteristics of a bilingual child's language and those of a language disorder. In this line there are two types of bilingual children: those who speak a language other than Spanish at home and develop normally and those who speak a language other than Spanish at home and have a speech delay.

Both groups of children are trying to learn two languages and at the same time they are trying to learn academic concepts. Both groups of children make mistakes in the production of sounds, may alter the order of words in a sentence, and may even use shorter sentences than the non-bilingual child. However, there are resources to identify which children actually have a developmental speech disorder.

Here is an example that can illustrate the above.

Common sounds in both languages.

All languages share some sounds. For example, Spanish and English share the sound d and the sound k, but there are also sounds that do not share for example the sounds th or dge, which are exclusive to the English language. A child without speech disturbances should be able to produce all the sounds that both languages share and it is normal for him to have difficulties with those sounds that are not shared by both languages.

For example, if your bilingual child is able to pronounce the word day or day but finds it difficult to pronounce the word edge, this would be within expectation. But if your child has difficulty producing sounds that are shared by both languages then it is time to visit the speech therapist .

But it's not just a matter of identifying the sounds that share both languages. Another very important factor to take into account is the age of the child, since the age of acquisition of each language sound is not the same for both languages. Sounds develop at different ages and it must be clear what those times are in both the Spanish and English languages. That is why if you have doubts it is advisable to go to the consultation with a bilingual speech therapist.

Intelligibility

Regardless of the mother tongue, bilingualism does NOT cause a child to be unintelligible to those who speak their language. By age 3 most bilingual children should be understood by their family members 100 percent of the time and by age 4 most children should be understood by their teachers. This does not mean that they should speak perfectly and not make mistakes. Children can make pronunciation errors without being unintelligible. In these cases the speaker must understand the meaning of the word and what the child is trying to say.

Remember that bilingualism is not currently believed to cause speech delay. If you have any questions after reading this article do not hesitate to contact a certified Speech Therapist.

Source Scott Prath, M.A., Vice President of Bilinguistics in Austin, Texas

Ankyloglossia or Lingual Frenulum

Ankyloglossia or Lingual Frenulum

by | Apr 21, 2014 | news

The sublingual frenulum is a mucous membrane located under the tongue, in the shape of a semilunar and very resistant whose function is to limit the movements of the tongue. If it weren't for this frenulum, we could die swallowing our tongues, that's where its great importance lies. The frenulum is not the same in all cases, it can be flexible or inflexible, soft tissue or fibrous, long or short, visible or invisible and the characteristics of each one have a direct and different influence on the degree of mobility of the tongue. The point of insertion of the frenulum into the tongue can also vary considerably, but there is one thing we must be clear about: a short frenulum can NOT lengthen with growth.
It is important to check the mobility of the tongue in babies as this ability is essential for proper breastfeeding and subsequent physical development. A baby who does not suck properly will not grow or gain the necessary weight. In addition, the language is not only important for the feeding process, but also determines the proper development of the entire oral cavity, so some dysfunction will affect areas such as dentition, speech, breathing and may even determine the propensity to suffer chronic problems such as dental malocclusion, otitis, sinusitis, and so on. In older children there are articulatory problems in some sounds such as /r/, /rr/, /l/, /t/, /d/, /n/, /s/ and /z/. In addition to difficulties in the emotional and social area.

What is frenectomy?

Frenectomy is the surgery that removes the abnormal frenulum. The lingual frenulum is little vascularized and innervated, so if it is necessary to cut it offers little resistance, barely bleeds and does not hurt. However, on all occasions when a person has a short lingual frenulum, frenectomy is recommended. If the patient has adequate mobility, he or she will be able to articulate all the sounds of speech. There is an evaluation protocol that the speech therapy professional will apply to the patient and the patient will recommend whether or not it is necessary, as well as the intervention plan to follow. Remember to consult a professional if you have any questions.