Does My Bilingual Child Have Language Delay?
In most cases, a bilingual child who seems “behind” in one language is showing a completely normal pattern of bilingual language distribution, not a language delay. Bilingual children typically reach the same overall developmental milestones as monolingual children, but their vocabulary and grammar are spread across two languages rather than concentrated in one — which can look like a delay if only one language is measured. Telling the difference between a genuine language delay and normal bilingual development requires looking at both of your child’s languages together, not just the one used at kinder or school.
Why does a bilingual child’s English sometimes look “behind”? Is it a language delay?
This is one of the most common concerns we hear from parents, and it makes sense: if you only count the words or grammar your child uses in English, they can look like they’re lagging behind English-only peers. But research is clear that bilingualism itself does not cause language delay. Bilingual children often develop different strengths in each language depending on how much they hear and use it, and their overall language ability — combined across both languages — tends to track in line with monolingual peers (Exploring Assumptions of the Bilingual Delay, Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research). A child who seems quiet in English at kinder may be chatting away confidently in Cantonese or Mandarin at home — and that matters for the full picture.
So how do speech pathologists actually tell the difference between a bilingual language delay and a difference?
This is where it gets more nuanced than a simple checklist, and it’s exactly why bilingual assessment needs a different approach to a standard English-only assessment. Much of the research in this space points to the same issue: there is a lack of developmental norms and standardised tools in languages other than English, which makes it genuinely difficult to distinguish a language difference from a language disorder using English tools alone (Identifying language difference versus disorder in bilingual children, Speech, Language and Hearing). A valid assessment usually draws on a combination of approaches — understanding your child’s full language history and exposure, comparing your child to bilingual peers rather than monolingual norms, and using dynamic assessment that looks at how quickly your child learns new language skills, not just what they currently know. No single test gives a definitive answer on its own.
This also means overidentification is a real risk. Some of the literature describes this clearly: bilingual children are sometimes expected to perform like “two monolinguals in one person,” and any deviation from that unrealistic standard can lead to bilingual children being unnecessarily flagged for services they don’t actually need. Getting this assessment right protects your child from both outcomes — missing a genuine delay, and being wrongly told there’s a problem when there isn’t one.
What should I actually do if I’m not sure about bilingual language delay?
Start by paying attention to both languages, not just the one used outside the home. If your child is communicating, understanding, and using language in at least one of their languages in line with what you’d expect for their age, that’s a good sign it’s a distribution issue rather than a disorder. If your child is struggling across both languages — and in non-verbal communication too, like gesture and play — that’s the pattern worth having properly assessed. Either way, the answer isn’t to drop the home language “to help English catch up.” Reducing home language exposure doesn’t speed up English and can come at a real cost to your child’s connection with family and culture.
A bilingual assessment, done properly, looks at your child’s whole language world — not just the slice a monolingual clinic can see.
Where to go from here about bilingual language delay
If you’re unsure whether what you’re seeing is a normal part of bilingual development or something worth assessing properly, a culturally and linguistically informed speech pathology assessment is the clearest way to get a real answer, in the languages your child actually uses. Our group programs, including our narrative and social skills group therapy options, can also be a good next step once your child’s profile is clearer.
To arrange an assessment or ask a question first, complete our service request form and our team will get back to you in English, Cantonese, or Mandarin.
This article is for general education only and is not a substitute for individualised clinical advice from a qualified speech pathologist.
我的雙語孩子發展遲緩，還是這只是正常的雙語發展？
在大多數情況下，雙語孩子在某一種語言上顯得「落後」，其實反映的是正常的雙語語言分佈模式，而非語言遲緩。雙語兒童一般能達到與單語兒童相若的整體發展里程碑，只是他們的詞彙及文法分散在兩種語言之中，而非集中於一種——如果只量度其中一種語言,便可能看似落後。要分辨真正的語言遲緩與正常的雙語發展，必須同時檢視孩子的兩種語言，而不只是幼兒園或學校所使用的那一種。
為何雙語孩子的英語有時顯得「落後」？
這是我們最常從家長口中聽到的擔憂，亦十分合理：如果只計算孩子以英語說出的詞彙及文法，他們看起來的確可能落後於純英語環境的同齡孩子。但研究清楚顯示，雙語本身並不會導致語言遲緩。雙語兒童在每種語言的發展程度往往取決於接觸及使用的多寡，而他們整體的語言能力——把兩種語言合併計算——大致與單語同齡孩子相若（《探討雙語兒童語言發展假設中的「延遲」現象》，Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research）。一個在幼兒園顯得安靜、英語不多的孩子，回到家中可能以廣東話或普通話滔滔不絕——而這正是完整圖像中不可或缺的一部分。
言語治療師實際上如何分辨「遲緩」與「差異」？
這個問題比一份簡單的檢查清單複雜得多，亦正正因如此，雙語評估需要與純英語評估截然不同的方式進行。這個領域的大部分研究都指向同一個問題：英語以外的語言普遍缺乏發展常模及標準化評估工具，令單靠英語工具去分辨語言差異與語言障礙變得相當困難（《分辨雙語兒童的語言差異與障礙》，Speech, Language and Hearing）。一個有效的評估，通常結合多種方法——了解孩子完整的語言背景及接觸歷史、以雙語同齡孩子（而非單語常模）作比較，並運用動態評估，觀察孩子學習新語言技巧的速度，而非單純現有的能力。單一測試永遠無法給出決定性的結論。
這亦意味着「過度診斷」是一個真實存在的風險。部分文獻清楚指出：雙語兒童有時被期望表現得像「一個人身上有兩個單語人」，任何偏離這個不切實際標準的情況，都可能令雙語兒童被不必要地標籤為需要服務。正確地進行評估，能同時保護孩子免受兩種結果影響——既不會錯過真正的遲緩，亦不會被誤判為有問題。
如果不確定,應該怎麼做？
首先留意孩子的兩種語言，而不只是家庭以外使用的那一種。如果孩子在其中一種語言的溝通、理解及運用上，符合該年齡應有的水平，這是一個好跡象，反映這只是分佈問題而非障礙。如果孩子在兩種語言中都有困難——包括手勢及遊戲等非語言溝通方面——這種情況便值得作正式評估。無論如何，答案都不是放棄家庭語言，「讓英語追上進度」。減少接觸家庭語言並不會加快英語發展，反而可能真正損害孩子與家人及文化的連繫。
一個做得妥當的雙語評估，會檢視孩子整個語言世界——而不只是單語機構所能看見的一部分。
接下來可以怎樣做
如果你不確定眼前所見是正常的雙語發展，還是值得正式評估的情況，一個具備文化及語言敏感度的言語治療評估，能以孩子實際使用的語言，給你一個清晰的答案。我們的小組課程，包括敘事及社交技巧的小組治療選擇，在孩子情況更清晰後，亦可以是不錯的下一步。
如欲安排評估或先提出疑問，請填寫我們的服務申請表格，我們的團隊將以英語、廣東話或普通話與你聯絡。
本文僅供一般教育參考之用，不能取代合資格言語治療師的個別臨床意見。