Many bilingual families want their children to speak more than one language.

Your home language is an important part of your culture, family relationships, and identity. But parents often ask questions like:

“Will speaking two languages confuse my child?”

“What if my child has a speech delay?”

“What if my child’s therapist does not speak our home language?”

“What if my child has a speech delay?”

Ideally, children who speak multiple languages would work with a therapist who also speaks those languages. However, that is not always easy to find.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, only about 8.3% of speech-language pathologists in the United States identify as multilingual, speaking at least one language other than English.

Because of this shortage, many families work with therapists who only speak English, but therapy can still be effective with the right approach and level of collaboration.

“What if my child’s therapist does not speak our home language?”

Here are some few helpful strategies you can use if your child’s therapist does not speak your home language:

1- Attend Therapy Sessions and Help Interpret

If possible, attend therapy sessions and help translate key parts of the session. This allows you to see the strategies the therapist is using and how you can apply them at home, while also providing language models in your home language.

2- Match the SLP’s Affect When you Interpret

When the therapist models a word or phrase in English, repeat it in your home language using similar tone, volume, and facial expressions. This helps your child connect the meaning across languages.

3- Recreate Therapy Activities at Home

If you can’t attend sessions, ask the SLP:

• What songs they used
• What books they read
• What toys or games they played

You can then recreate those same activities at home while speaking in your home language.

For more information and helpful tips, follow along in our 4 part blog series on Bilingual Language Development, written by a bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist!