Speech Therapy

Bilingual Services.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Services

As of 2020, Texas has 1,034,500 students (about the population of Delaware) registered in public schools as second language learners, the second largest number in the country! Monkey Mouths is proud to offer bilingual speech therapy services in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Portuguese. We also have a trained team to assess, diagnose, and treat language disorders no matter what languages your child speaks or is exposed to. In addition, we provide occupational therapy services in Spanish, Urdu, and Hindi and our occupational therapists are trained to work with interpreters to provide linguistically and culturally responsive therapy.

Although every multilingual child is different, here are some things to know that can help you support their language development across all the languages they are exposed to.

Breaking 3 Common Myths about Multilingualism.

Myth:
Being exposed to two languages will delay language development.

Fact:
This is the most common myth! However, research consistently shows that bilingual learners learn at the same pace as their monolingual peers.

Myth:
Bilingual Learners are at a disadvantage.

Fact:
There are many benefits to being bilingual! Several studies have shown a mild advantage in attention and task switching. Our communities are all so diverse that being multilingual is an advantage. Worldwide, it is much more common to speak 2 or more languages than it is to speak just one language.

Myth:
Mixing up languages means there is a delay or something wrong.

Fact:
This is normal when learning multiple languages! It is a common phenomenon called “code switching.” As children learn and grow, they will also learn to separate and sort out the features that belong to each language.

What does culturally responsive therapy look like?

Monkey Mouths provides highly individualized and specialized treatment and home programming that is built to best match your child and their environments. We want all our patients to be successful in the clinic, at home, at school, in their community, and more! We provide therapy that celebrates cultural differences and diversity by including culturally relevant materials, home programming that can be provided in your home language and providing bilingual therapy services if available.

What can I do at home?

Use the language you are most comfortable with!

Research shows children benefit much more from fluent and accurate language models.

Be their narrator.

You can model language just by talking about what you are doing throughout the day! This is a wonderful way for children to make connections between words and what they mean. You can read, sing, narrate, and describe what you see and do in any daily activities.

Encourage them!

Just like anything new, practice makes perfect! Encourage your child to use all languages they are exposed to by making opportunities. The more they practice and make mistakes, the more opportunities they get to hone their skills and learn!

When Should I Consider An Evaluation?

If your child is showing a delay in both languages that they are exposed to, then it is time to consider an evaluation. At Monkey Mouths, we have a team of bilingual speech pathologists who speak 4 different languages and are also experienced in using an interpreter as needed. It is important to us that your child receives the best and most culturally responsive care. Schedule your appointment today!