![]() ![]() As a result, pediatric providers will need to become familiar with normal patterns of bilingual language acquisition and be able to identify abnormal language development in a bilingual child. 1 This number is expected to rise over the next few decades. In 1990, more than six million children between the ages of 5 and 17 (representing 13.9% of children in this age range) spoke a non-English language at home. The above vignette portrays an increasingly common scenario: parents concerned about language development in their bilingual child. Jorge's parents want to know what they should do. She has suggested that the family speak only English so that Jorge will do better once he starts school. His English-speaking day-care provider has told the parents that Jorge is confused by being exposed to two languages. His parents speak a mixture of Spanish and English at home, as do his older siblings. He was born in Puerto Rico and came to the United States when he was 12 months old. Jorge is able to say fewer than 10 words, some in Spanish, some in English. As you examine him, his parents express concern about his language development. You are seeing Jorge for his 2-year-old well-child visit. Pediatricians need to know how to screen for normal language development in these children, what advice to offer parents about bilingual child-rearing, and how to answer common questions raised by families and teachers. The number of children in the United States who are exposed to two languages is growing. Developing bilingualism Abnormal development of bilingual language General advice for parents Responding to concerns Embracing bilingualismīy Victoria Fierro-Cobas, MD, and Eugenia Chan, MD
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