Speech Issues in a Bilingual Home.

I really don't think the bilingual issue confuses kids. They have such a capacity to learn things at a young age. Relax, she's only two. Pretty soon she will be talking so much that you'll wish for a minute of quiet time. I was not taught Spanish by my bilingual parents but they spoke it to each other often. It never confused me. I wish they had taught it to me. Being bilingual is such an advantage.
J.

Hi Nidia,

I don't think that you're delaying your daughter's speech by speaking both languages to her. Some kids are just late in some areas. I suggest that you really encourage her to name the items she wants. One technique I used on my boys after they turned one is that whenever they pointed to an object I would say the name of the object a couple of times. I would then point to my mouth and repeat the name s-l-o-w-l-y. Once I got a smile from them, I knew they captured it.

I also run a bilingual home with my two boys. My oldest is 7 years old and my youngest is 2.5 years old. Since I come from a strong Mexican family, it is very important for me for my kids to also speak Spanish. My husband on the other hand only speaks English, so we decided that he would speak only in English to the boys and I would speak only in Spanish. Both of my boys clearly understand both languages, but 90% of their vocabulary is English. My oldest will only speak Spanish when he absolutely needs to speak it. My youngest is following his big brother's steps. Even though I speak to him completely in Spanish he responds in English. I'm sure that as they get older, they will appreciate the fact that they know two languages.

Good luck!

I had a similiar problem with my son when he first started school. I remember he was not even 2 yet and i put him in a child developmental school. I remember his teacher calling me one day and asking us what we speak to him at home, because he was having a hard time understanding the teachers. Then she proceeded to tell me that she thinks that he may need a speech therapist. I was so worried, he was my first kid and he had a little sister just 1 year younger then him. Well as it turned out he was just fine, all children are different, they talk when thier ready and they walk when thier ready, dont push them. My son took along time to talk, hes now 4 1/2 and he speaks better then some 5 and 6 year olds i know. I also want to share this with you, children usually pick up a second language before the age of 3, they are like sponges right now. I say teach your daughter as many languages as you possibly can, its a blessing, trust me you will not regret it. My husband speaks 6, and he is trying to teach our kids at least 3. Just to add, my daughter was saying her first words at about 10 months, she knew her alphabet before age 2 and i have a 1 1/2 year old who believe it or not, just started walking, i thought he never would. My advice, dont sweat it, embrace it, your daughter would be blessed to speak more then 1 language.

Hi Nidia,
My daughter is 2 1/2 years old and in our house we speak both spanish and english. I don't think there is anything wrong with her vocabulary. She is still developing. My daughter still babbles from time to time but she understands both and can speak both languages. Just give her time. I don't know how you feel about her watching t.v. but shows like Dora, Blues Clues, Mickey Mouse CLub house, all those have helped her develope more. She knows a lot of her colors and shapes. She counts up to twenty. So just give her some time and a little encouragement. She will surprise you in how smart she is.

Nidia,

There have been many studies showing that kids who are bilingual from birth often take longer to speak. But, are better off in the long run. Please don't just limit your daughter to just one language. You are giving her such a gift by exposing her to multiple languages.
We've had experience with this via my niece and I've also seen this happen as a teacher. She will catch up. I hope you speech therapist has the same advice. Good luck!

I know my son isnt old enough to talk yet, but one of my friends had a speach issue with her daughter and when they took her to the therapist the things they had her do were simple.. When your daughter points to things that she wants, like an apple, say apple a few times and really encourage her to say it back. If she knows she can just point to something and get it then thats all she will do. Take some of her favorite toys and ask her if she wants them. Say things like, do you want your ball? and have her say "ball" to get the toy. Or in your case you can use the spanish version of the words also. Good luck and i hope things work out for you!

Two languages is such a wonderful gift to give your child. We also have a bilingual home- German and English. It takes a lot of time and dedication to run a bilingual household, so pat yourself on the back. You are doing great! We have a little playgroup and all of the kids were exposed to English and German. They all developed language at different rates and in a different ways, but you know what? At two, one spoke mostly English (with the most perfect diction ever), two spoke hardly at all (one was even communicating primarily in a created sign language) and one spoke both languages. At three, all of them speak well, at least one of the languages and have a good foundation in the other.

I do think there is something to be said for mother's intuiton. Besides the number of words- is there anything alse that gives you pause about your childs speech development? If you a really worried something is amiss, then follow-up on it. No harm in making yourself feel better if you are awake at night thinking something is wrong with your child's development. However, chances are, she is internally processing and trying out all of the sounds she needs to make words, and in a few short months will amaze you with her two languages.

Warmly,

C.

First of all let me just say that two languages are not confusing your daughter. My parents did not teach myself and my sibling spanish because of that issue. All of my other cousins can without any issues ever coming up. Due to the fact that both languages are spoken then there will not be that problem. It will actually help them to communicate better. Sorry but some things are better in another language. About her not speaking yet, don't worry. ALL three of my children didn't really start until 2 1/2. With our first son we thought something could be wrong. Not the case. With our second we figured he would be like his older brother so no worries. With our daughter, we figured since she was a girl she wouldn't do it. NOT THE CASE!! They know. When she is ready she will talk. When she babbbles say sorry but I don't understand you, please use your words. Or Can you repeat that for me, speak with your words. I used and still am using these techniques for my children. I think that if she is still not speaking clearly by 4 or 5 then you should take them to the therapist. Otherwise it puts too much on the child. And she could be like my daughter(who is such the angel,lol) and totally rebell against pushing it on her. Any questions, feel free to write me back. As moms we are our own little experts on giving advice. You just have to sort out what feels right for your family. Thanks.

Nidia,

It is good that you have made an appt with a speech therapist just in case there is something going on. We had the same issue in our family when my son was 2 (he is now 6). We had a nanny who would speak Mandarin to him, a grandma who would speak Spanish and the rest of us who would speak to him in English. The pediatrician said it was normal for kids who had a bi/tri lingual home to start verbal speech a little later, but she had me keep track of his progress for quite sometime. I am happy to say he is quite the talker now and is taking a Mandarin class after school (he asked for it). He is teaching our daughter Mandarin (which is her native language - we adopted her from China 3 years ago). He speaks Mandarin and some Spanish with beautiful accents.
I have seen some parents who are in denial about their child's speech and ignore it. In California there are great resources for early intervention which are free up until age 3. I was able to see a great developmental pediatrician (at no charge) in Marin who assured me that everything was okay.
Good luck with it all.

Kind regard,
M.

Hi Nidia. My husband is Indonesian but he has chosen to only speak in English with our daughter. I think this is a bad decision because while she is young is the best time to learn a second language. I beleive that my daughter is tongue tied, she does talk alot, unlike your daughter, but there are about 10 letters that all involve tongue movement and tongue placement that she just can't say properly no matter how many times I try to correct her. we have a speech therapy appointment coming up next week. I think at age 2 she should have a much bigger vocabulary, perhaps she has a hearing problem or some problem with her vocal chords? but as long as she points to things and brings you to them then she is able to communicate which is good. when my daughter was overseas with her dad and his family spoke only indonesian she didn't learn anything new, and what little indonesian i know i use with her and she is not learning it. she only learns english but constantly uses the wrong letters, everything starts with N. she is 3 and dosen't even say her name. she calls herself baby. her name is Nadia so she should be able to say it since N is her favorite ltter. it is so frustrating. when is your daughters appointment? please let me know how it goes. with love, Amal

I dont think teaching both languages at the same time is hindering her speech. Children are little sponges and can intake alot of information. My son didnt say much before he was 2 either. I mostly got alot of gibberish from him. In my home only English was spoken and at his fathers house both English and Spanish are spoken. But shortly after his 2nd birthday he started talking. Oh boy did he start talking. Now he is 8 and he has an extensive vocabulary, reads at a 5th grade reading level, and is already doing 3 grade math. Children develop differently. My twin nieces are a great example. The youngest of the 2 started talking when she was only 9 months but her sister didnt say her first word until she was almost 18 months.

Does your daughter understand when she is given direction? If you tell her its time to eat, does she go to the table? Pick toys up when its time to clean up? Come to you when you call her? If she responds to you, in either or both languages, then in my opinion she is doing just fine.

Don't worry about your daughter, she is growing up bilingual...she will speak more and more. She is being spoken in to in both languages so her vocabulary is there but she is trying to put both of the words together in her mind. You will see her speak more and more as time goes on. I was raised around bilingual people and I hae seen this first hand... give it until 2 1/2 and you should be okay...

We have a bilinguel home as well My grandson live with my daughter and I we have him in A bilingualdaycare and at his other grandparents home they speak primarilly spanish in there home .We make hime tell us what he wants in english or spanish but he can't just say uhh and point so he has learned both languages.you just have to insist they she speaks not babble it will work.

Hey there Nidia,

I am responding kind of late so I hope you get to read this. My daughter who is 2 1/2 is bilingual. I spoke to her in English and my husband spoke to her in French ALWAYS. Every doctor, book or person we met told us to do it that way. So, I knew there might be an issue with her speaking, as my neice did when her mom spoke only Spanish to her. I decided to teach her a third language at the age of 18 months to prevent communication problems. I taught her Sign language. Let me tell you it was the absolute BEST thing I could have done!!! For Instance, she would say "appie" to everything that was red. So one day she pointed into the refridgerator and said "appie" I said "no, that is a Strawberry" and showed her the sign for it. The very next day she saw them in the refridgerator and said "appie" BUT signed Strawberry. So, I knew what she was saying all of the time. By the time she was about 2 I was worried because she didn't have more than one word sentences and at that age she was supposed to have 2 word sentences. Then one day all of a sudden 2 weeks before she turned 2 she repeated what I said exactly "Stinky, (our cat) what did you do?" children learn at their own pace and most of the time when they are bilingual they are confused as how to respond, not that they do not know how to respond. There is a show on PBS called "Singing Time". Record /Tivo it if you are not a stay at home mom so you guys can watch together and learn it. It is so simple. Once your child learns the word in english and/or spanish they will stop signing. But it is a great asset to understand what your child wants. I cannot tell you how many apples I cut up and had to eat myself becasue "appie" was not what she really wanted!!! hahaha Good luck!!

Jennifer

The "confused" thing is a bunch of hogwash. It is true that bilingual children can hit certain stages of language development a couple months later than the "average," as they learning the vocabulary and grammar rules of the two languages, but that is by no means hindering them--you are blessing your child with a wonderful skill, and studies show that being bilingual is correlated with an improvement in a number of cognitive skills.

As for speaking 3 words--she obviously understands much more. She may in fact be saying some that you haven't picked up on yet (it took me 2 weeks to figure out "choyat" was chocolate, 3 to figure out "bawdie" was brownie) and in a few months, she'll probably be babbling her head off.

:)

Dear Nidia,

Did you know that some of the greatest men and women in the world have been late talkers? I wish that you would just let her communicate the way that she wants to. I bet she is the cutest little 2 year old. My great grandson was exactly the same way, and he finally started talking and his voice sounds like an angel voice to us because we had to wait so long to hear it.

Please do not listen to people who say to you that you are confusing her with two languages, just keep on talking to her in both languages, she will figure it out, and it will be the best gift that you could give for her to be bilingual. People who are bilingual learn more easily than mono lingual people. Their brains accomodate for the using of the two languages.

All true. C. N.

My son just turned 1 and doesn't say any words at all. He can repeat words that we say, and he can babble on and on, but I don't believe he understands what any words mean. I also believe that the reason this is happening is because he is being exposed to two languages (tagalog and english).

Even though it may take longer for him to absorb both languages, I wouldn't have it any other way. I think it's fabulous that his life is being enriched by learning two languages. It may take time, but it will be worth it in the end =)

My husband is Chinese and I am white. We have a two year old son, who is learning both languages. It is true that children who are bilingual will take extra time to speak correctly. I have picked up a few words here and there in Chinese and repeat it to him. When I feed him, I make him say words to me before he gets another bite. I might do this three or four times throughout the meal. I think it is essential for you not to give into her pointing, but help her say the words by repeating them and encouraging her until she tries to say the word.

I haven't personally encountered that in my home, but the same thing happened to my niece. She was slow to speak and would often speak in "spanglish"...alternating words in spanish and english. However difficult that it is now, she has a great foundation for learning spanish in the future. It's really important that whomever speaks in Spanish continues to do so, as well as, the English speaking parent. My niece is now fluent in both languages despite the rough start.

If you are concerned with her speech, I would strongly suggest getting in touch with the RCOC. It's a FREE program run through the state of California, with this department specifically concentrating on Orange County. As long as she is cognatively over 18 months of age and presents with a 20% delay in speech, she can get in-home or in-center speech therapy up until the age of 3 for free. The link is http://www.rcocdd.com/ and you get the initial consultation & evaluation for free as well. A doctor referral is suggested but not required.

I also have a 2 year old, although not in a bilingual surrounding he also prefers to babble. I have had a couple people ask me if he should be talking more, which has bothered me, but really I think there is nothing wrong I think too many people these days expect them to grow up to fast. I say let them be babies for as long as they can because before you know it they will be grown and you will miss that cute no clue what they are saying conversations!!! Please dont be worried, if that helps =)

It is very common that a bilingual child can be "slower" to speak. A speech therapist can help a child, or a child can just develop at their own pace. It is a personal decision with in your family. Some worry and would like intervention early, and some parents choose to wait and see how the language picks up around age 3-4. The great thing is that your child may seem slower than other children but she will be valuable and talented and have what many children are not as lucky to have and that is the gift of a second language. It is better to teach them from birth both languages instead of one then later learning a second. It is a wonderful thing and I hope everything works out for you. Remember that even children with one language to learn experience difficulties and either get help or learn on their own so don't let the second language thing be an issue....good luck

LEARNING 2 LANGUAGES WHILE SHE IS YOUNGER IS BETTER FOR HER IN THE LONG RUN. THEY PICK IT UP FASTER. AS FAR AS HER DELAY, THAT JUST MAY BE HER PACE. GOOD LUCK.

Hi Nidia, I know exactly what your going through. My family is also bilingual (english/spanish). We have 2 boys, 6 and 4. We've learned that in teaching children 2 different languages, it was best for us to describe an item in both languages and let your child know "this is a beach" and in spanish it's called "la playa". This worked for us! We also went to a speech therapist for my first son, and they said to teach your child 1 primary language first, then as they get older to introduce the second language. Please don't get frustrated (even though it is very frustrating)your daughter will learn both languages. Children are very adaptable that way. Good luck!