Should You Stop Teaching Spanish If Your Child Has a Speech Delay?
By Palabra Garden
You get the diagnosis. Your child has a speech delay. And then — maybe from your pediatrician, maybe from a well-meaning family member, maybe even from an early intervention specialist — you hear the same suggestion: “You should probably drop the Spanish. Focus on English so the child can catch up.”
It hits hard. You’ve been building a bilingual home for years. You have plans for your child to maintain Spanish. And now someone is essentially telling you that your effort, your family’s language, and your bilingual goals are getting in the way of your child’s development.
What this post covers
- The Core Myth: Bilingualism Causes Speech Delays
- Why Bilingual Children Might Appear to Have Delays (But Might Not)
- When Your Child Actually Does Have a Delay
- What to Do When Someone Suggests Dropping Spanish
- Finding a Bilingual-Trained Speech-Language Pathologist
- The Research on Bilingualism and Development
- What Happens After Diagnosis
- Practical Support for Your Bilingual Home
- You’re Making the Right Choice
- Your Complete Bilingual Support System
This post is being migrated from the previous site. The full version originally appeared on palabragarden.com.