Bilingualism and Children with Communication Disabilities
Presented by Laura Epstein and Betty Yu
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Non-Financial: Laura Epstein and Betty Yu have no competing non-financial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Meet your instructors
Laura Epstein
Laura Epstein, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor, Program Coordinator and School Internship Coordinator at San Francisco State University. Her research and clinical focus is on Spanish-bilingual language development/disorders and inclusion. She was California Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention Program…
Betty Yu
Betty Yu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education & Communicative Disorders. Before joining the faculty at San Francisco State, she practiced as a speech-language therapist primarily serving young children and their families in minority communities. Her research interest is in how children's language…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Bilingualism and Communication Disabilities: FAQs and Evidence-Based Answers
Bilingual families of children with communication disabilities are frequently advised to speak only English with the children. This advice reflects the misinformation that persists around bilingualism in children with communication disabilities. The aim of this chapter is to shed light on what the current research literature says on the topic.
2. Parent Perspectives on Bilingualism and Children with Communication Disabilities
This chapter builds on the previous one by applying the research findings to address three frequently asked questions about bilingualism in children with communication disabilities. Specifically, it addresses the questions of: a) Will hearing more than one language confused the children? b) Will using the home language hinder the learning of English? and c) Will the mixing of languages confuse children?
3. Question and Answer Session
What languages caregivers use with their children with disabilities is a complex and personal matter. Professionals often advise parents to speak particular languages to their children without an understanding of the perspectives of families, which often leads to disruption in family dynamics. The aim of this chapter is to share some perspectives of parents from minority-language families regarding their language choices with their children with disabilities.