Summer tips for bilingual families

The long-awaited summer often raises questions and concerns for families of children with developmental language disorders. We know that speech therapy is beneficial, even necessary, for these children, and that effort is required in each language. But it's also important to know when to take a break, and what better time than summer? Many families also take extended vacations to return to their home countries. Whatever the reason for the break, it's essential to allow time for progress to solidify and to relieve pressure on families. So, with the aim of letting things flow and offering helpful advice to families, here's my top tip:

→ FOCUS ON THE HOME/MINORITY LANGUAGE DURING THE SUMMER

During the school year, the strategy is often to focus on the majority language spoken by the child we are working with, as it is rare for us to speak the minority language ourselves. Of course, our interventions must also support the home language, but this is often done through families. So we pursue the same objectives, but each of us uses our own language.

However, the concern of "losing" skills in the language of instruction/majority language is present on both the professional and family sides. On the other hand, advising families to "work on" the majority language during the holidays should be avoided, as this contradicts the scientific literature, particularly for parents who are not proficient in the majority language. There are numerous repercussions stemming from this advice:

• If the parent does not speak in their minority language, the child may stop using that language, and this has impacts on their culture and the development of their personal identity;
• Furthermore, if the child reduces their use of their home language, they will be less proficient in that language and thus feel less comfortable. They may therefore lose the desire to use it, which has significant consequences for bilingualism and the interdependence of languages;
• The use of a language not mastered by the parent also has a significant impact on family relationships. If the parent communicates little or not at all in the majority language, this can have serious consequences such as:
  • the inability to socialize with one's child;
  • the inability to pass on one's family customs, values, and cultural beliefs

Finally, if the parent uses a language they are less proficient in, they will inevitably produce shorter, less elaborate statements, possibly riddled with grammatical errors, and use a less rich vocabulary.

So the most important message is to make families understand the benefits of speaking and maintaining their home language.

During the summer, the important thing is to focus on one language, whatever it may be. They also need to know that even if there is a slight regression in some skills acquired in the majority language, the child will be immersed in that language again when school resumes and will quickly catch up.

Melissa Farkouh

Your speech therapist, your ally in bilingualism