Speech and Language Therapy for Bilingual Children
Does Your Bilingual Child Have a Speech or Language Difficulty?
Bilingual children can have language delay, speech sound disorders, stuttering and voice problems — and bilingualism is not the cause. Work with speech and language therapist Cansu Tekin on assessment and therapy that covers every language your child knows.
Written by Cansu Tekin, Speech and Language Therapist · Last updated: 14 July 2026
Speech and Language Disorders in Bilingual Children
Speech and language disorders occur in bilingual children at the same rate as in monolingual children — no more, no less.1 Bilingualism does not cause a disorder, but it can mask one or lead to one being misread. Assessing a bilingual child therefore cannot be done by looking at a single language: every language the child knows has to be considered as a whole.
At a glance
Important: Bilingualism does not delay language or cause language disorders, and dropping a language does not solve a language problem.
Which Areas Do We Work On With Bilingual Children?
Every speech and language disorder seen in monolingual children can occur in bilingual children too. Therapy is planned with the child's skills in both languages in view.
Language delay and language disorders
Vocabulary, sentence building and comprehension behind their peers in both languages.
Speech sound disorders
Sounds not produced correctly. In bilingual children we distinguish which errors come from language influence and which indicate a disorder.
Stuttering (fluency)
Stuttering occurs in bilingual children too, and must be assessed in both languages together.
Voice disorders
Assessment and therapy for hoarseness, vocal fatigue and changes in voice quality.
Social communication and interaction
Supporting turn-taking, eye contact and reciprocal communication across all of the child's languages.
Assessment Begins With Understanding the Language History
When and how a child acquired their languages is decisive for interpreting their skills correctly. Two bilingual children of the same age cannot be judged by the same yardstick if their language histories differ.
Simultaneous Bilingualism (From Birth)
A child exposed to two languages from birth, or before age three, is a simultaneous bilingual. These children pass through the same developmental stages as monolingual children, acquiring two separate languages together from the start.
Sequential Bilingualism
The child acquires one language first (usually the home language), then meets a second — most often through school or their surroundings. A brief 'silent period' on moving into the new language, and errors influenced by the first language, are entirely normal.
Bilingualism in Children With Language Difficulties
Children with language difficulties can learn two languages too; bilingualism does no harm to their development. There is no need to drop a language — what matters is that they get enough support in both, through enjoyable, reciprocal interaction.
Common Myths and Facts About Bilingualism
Bilingual families often meet well-meaning but mistaken advice. These myths can make parents hesitant to give their child the language they bond with most strongly. Here is what the research says.
"Two languages delay speech"
False. Bilingual children reach language milestones within the normal range, and the two languages together are at least as rich as those of monolingual peers.
"You need to switch to one language"
False. Dropping a language does not solve the problem; it cuts the child off from the language they bond with most strongly. What is needed is the right support, not fewer languages.
"Each parent should speak only one language"
Not necessarily. This is one option among several; there is no evidence it is the only or the best route. Families can speak whichever way feels natural and comfortable.
"Mixing languages means confusion"
False. Code-switching is the child communicating as well as they can by drawing on both languages — a natural part of healthy bilingualism.
Why the home language matters
A child develops their language and their world of thought most of all at home, in warm interactions within the family. Keeping the language the family speaks most strongly — the home language — underpins both the child's overall language development and the family bond. A strong home language provides solid ground for the second to be built on; weakening it does not strengthen the second language, it puts both at risk.
In short: Speak to your child in whichever language feels most natural and comfortable to you. Rich, plentiful input matters more than which language it is — and two languages together are a genuine asset for your child.
Typical Bilingual Development, or a Language Disorder?
Some behaviours in bilingual children worry families but are entirely normal. A genuine language disorder, by contrast, shows up not in one language but across all the languages the child knows. Telling the two apart requires experienced assessment.
Typical bilingual development
- Mixing two languages in one sentence (code-switching)
- A brief 'silent period' when moving into a new language
- Borrowing a word from the other language when one is unknown
- Errors influenced by the home language that decrease over time
Signs that may need assessment
- Difficulty appearing in both languages at once
- Markedly limited vocabulary in both languages compared with peers
- Difficulty understanding simple instructions in any language
- Communication difficulties lasting more than two years without easing
When should you see a therapist?
Assessment and Therapy for Bilingual Children
The aim of therapy is not to reduce the child to one language, but to address the disorder across both. Assessment and therapy are carried out with all the child's languages in view, by a speech and language therapist experienced in bilingualism.
Multilingual Assessment
A comprehensive assessment taking all of the child's languages and their language history together. Because tests that look at a single language can mislead with bilingual children, a family interview and language sampling are used alongside them.
Therapy Covering All Languages
Therapy targets are set with the child's skills in both languages in view. Skills gained in one language are worked on so they transfer to the other, and no language is dropped for the sake of therapy.
Language Influence, or Disorder?
Differential assessmentSome errors in bilingual children stem from the languages influencing each other and are normal. Distinguishing which errors are developmental and which indicate a disorder is what allows therapy to be aimed correctly.
A Language Plan for the Family
A flexible plan is built for each family, clarifying which language is used with whom and in which settings. The aim is that sufficient, good-quality input continues in both.
Strengthening the Home Language
A strong home language is the ground on which the second language and literacy are built. Families are encouraged to keep theirs going richly.
School–Family Collaboration
A bridge is built between the school language and the home language; working with teachers creates a consistent environment where the child is supported in both.
How are therapy targets distributed across the languages?
Differential Assessment and School Collaboration in the School Years
The silent period: is it normal when moving into a new language?
Children meeting a new language — at school, for instance — may speak little in it for a while and listen more. This 'silent period' is a normal stage of adjustment seen in many children, and is not a sign of a language disorder.3 During this period the right approach is to offer a rich language environment without pressuring the child.
Carrying therapy home: suggestions for families
- 1Revisit the therapy target at natural moments through the day — play, mealtimes and conversations on the way somewhere are the most productive.
- 2Keep speaking to your child in whichever language is most comfortable; therapy never requires dropping a language.
- 3Keep talk reciprocal rather than one-way — talk with your child, not at them.
- 4Don't try to correct language mixing; it is part of bilingual development, not of a disorder.
- 5Clarify with your therapist which skill is being worked on in which language; supporting the same target at home speeds up progress.
A Bridge Between School and Therapy
Skills gained in therapy become lasting when they are used at school and at home.
For a bilingual child with a language difficulty, consistency between the school language and the home language matters. With the family's consent we contact teachers, share the therapy targets and plan together how support can be given in class. Because concepts and reading skills learned in one language transfer to the other, keeping the home language going does not weaken the school language — it supports academic progress.
How Do Multilingual Assessment and Therapy Work?
The process runs through an assessment covering the child's full language history, an individually tailored therapy plan and regular follow-up. The family is kept informed and involved at every step.
Language history and multilingual assessment
An individually tailored therapy plan
Therapy sessions + family counselling
All languages
Assessment covers every language the child knows
45 min
Consultation / counselling session length
Family-focused
Support is planned so it carries into everyday interaction
Online Bilingualism Counselling
Family counselling, language planning and follow-up sessions can all be carried out effectively online.4 Online sessions let us offer specialist support to bilingual families across Türkiye and around the world.
About Cansu Tekin, Speech and Language Therapist
With bilingual and multilingual families I work from an evidence-based approach that treats all of the child's languages as a whole. My aim is to encourage families to keep their own languages, and to support the child in developing confidently in each — because every language is part of a child's identity and their connections.
- ✓Hacettepe University, Faculty of Health Sciences — Speech and Language Therapy (high honours)
- ✓Ege University — MSc in Audiology and Speech Disorders
- ✓Hanen (It Takes Two to Talk) training — family-focused early language support
- ✓Assessment of language development in bilingual and multilingual children
- ✓DIR Floortime and family training work
- ✓Interdisciplinary clinical placements at Hacettepe (including language development)
Therapy for Bilingual Children: Frequently Asked Questions
Bilingual Therapy in Nicosia and Online
At our clinic in Nicosia we see clients from across Cyprus (Kyrenia, Famagusta, Morphou, Trikomo), and we work with bilingual families in Türkiye, Europe and further afield through online sessions. You can book either an in-person or an online appointment for multilingual assessment and family counselling.
Strong Communication in Both Languages
Get in touch about your child's speech and language difficulty. We will carry out an assessment covering all their languages and build a therapy plan for you.
Address
Marmara Bölgesi, 12. Sokak,
Başarhan Apt. No: 2, Nicosia
Contact
+90 533 834 31 96
merhaba@letssaymore.com
Opening hours
Monday–Saturday
09:00 – 18:00
Sources
- The Hanen Centre — hanen.org (myths and facts about bilingualism, the It Takes Two to Talk approach)
- ASHA — American Speech-Language-Hearing Association — asha.org (bilingual service delivery and assessment)
- Bilingualism Matters — University of Edinburgh — bilingualism-matters.org (research on bilingual development)
- ASHA telepractice resources (effectiveness of telepractice and online counselling)
- Cummins, J. — work on cross-linguistic transfer and the academic role of the home language