A translation of the Seattle “Chie Note” (“Wisdom Notes”) article by Peregrine Therapy, found in the Soy Source magazine’s Feb 10th 2023 issue!

The original Japanese-language can be found here or the full magazine here with the article on page 7.

FILE NO.23　The Support of a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist

Pediatric speech pathologists provide therapy to support children with communication delays. But how do you know when a child has a communication delay?  And do bilingual children living in multilingual environments develop differently than other kids?

Improving Children's Communication Skills through Speech Therapy

“Communication skills” can have many meanings. Speech therapists work with children with many different needs.  Sometimes a need for therapy may go unrecognized in bilingual children for a while.  This is because parents (and even speech therapists!) tend to believe that a child’s developmental delay is simply the result of learning two languages. What is normal for a child learning two languages?  Let’s look at some areas of communication development and how you can know when there’s a delay, whether the child is monolingual or bilingual.

●  Articulation

“Articulation” refers to a child’s pronunciation skills. If articulation is delayed, children cannot pronounce words as well as other kids their age do. For example, a child who wants to say “sun” may say “tun.”  It’s true that many children speak like that when they are little.  But if a child over the age of 5 says “tun” like this may need professional help.

It is common for 2-year-olds to say "doe” when they want to say “go,” or for a child to say “datto” or “gakko” when they want to say “dakko” (Japanese for “pick me up”). Articulation skills develop at a similar pace even when learning two languages. If a Japanese-speaking child says “datto” for “dakko,” he or she likely also would say “dirl” for “girl.”  However, if your child is still speaking this way after age 3, it is a good idea to talk to a speech pathologist.

It is not uncommon for a bilingual child to have an "accent" in one language. For example, children whose stronger language is Japanese may confuse "R" and "L" when speaking English, just like adults do. That’s not an articulation delay. But a bilingual child’s stronger language articulation skills, and the different types of sounds that they can say, should still be developing at the same pace as a monolingual child’s articulation skills.

●  Language

A child with a language delay may not be able to find the right words to convey their message to others. Because their vocabulary may be small for their age, a child may use many vague or non-specific words like “this” or “that one.”   

Most children can say at least 50 words by the age of 2.  By the age of three, they should be able to say so many words that an adult wouldn’t be able to count how many words are in their vocabulary. Learning two languages doesn't slow this pace down, but the picture may be a little different.  At their second birthday, a bilingual child may know 10 words in English and 40 words in Japanese, making a total of 50 words (or many more!).  Or a child may know the names of 25 things in English, and also know the same 25 things’ names in Japanese. This also counts as 50 words. If a child is only using a few words, it is not because they are learning two languages.

●  Fluency

When a child stutters, their speech may appear very effortful.  A child who is trying to say “car” may say “c-c-c-c-ar.” Stuttering does not mean that the child is nervous. While it is tempting for an adult to finish a child’s words for them, it is important to instead wait patiently for the child to finish speaking.

Learning two languages does not affect fluency skills. Interestingly, bilingual children (and adults) who stutter may stutter more in one language and less in the other.

●  Social Communication Skills

Children with delays in social communication may communicate with others differently than you would expect.  For example, they may not respond when their name is called. Or, even though they may not say many words of their own, they may imitate other people's entire sentences well. Delays in social communication in children are most often associated with Autism.

Being bilingual does not cause a delay in social communication skills.  Typically-developing children respond in some way when someone speaks to them.  A child with a language delay may have few words but will try to use them; a child with a social communication delay may have many words but not attempt to use them to communicate with others.

If a communication delay is present, it is best treated in the child's strongest language. Peregrine Therapy offers speech therapy for children in both English and Japanese.