BILINGUAL HOME Q: My son is now 15 months. I speak our native Asian language with him and he can say a few words. We live in Arizona and I have to take him to kindergarten but I´m afraid that it would be difficult for him to understand a new language. Would you please advise?
A: Every parent who is raising a child using his/her native language (L1) within another language (L2) environment usually is concerned that their child might have difficulties in learning a new language (L2) while preserving the native language(L1). However, studies suggest that between the age of 2 and 12, language can be learned by exposure. This means that your child may seem 'confused' initially, but will begin to understand the meaning of the words in his L2 (English) very quickly. The phenomenon is known as 'fast mapping,' meaning that children begin to map new words to their language system. When kids are learning two languages at the same time parents need to work out language strategies that emphasize boundaries between the languages. For example: - One parent, one language. Each parent consistently speaks one language while the other parent speaks another language (usually each on speaking his or her native language to the child and possibly the common language to each other).
- Both parents speak one language in the home and a second language is used at school.
- One language is used in the home and at school and the second language is used in the community.
- Both parents speak both languages to the child but separate the languages according to speaking situations or alternate days.
If you are concerned that perhaps the child is delayed in one or both languages and it does not appear that the child has a good grasp on expressive language or receptive language of either language, consultation and evaluation by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist is recommended. Children growing up in bilingual households or environments are typically behind in language milestones for the first two years of life, but then appear to “catch up” to monolingual children. If you think that your child is experiencing delays which may or may not be attributed to a bilingual experience, consult your local Speech Language Pathologist. | 
