Bilingual children and speech concerns: what should parents look at?
Reviewed by Chong Tin Fung, Clinical Psychologist.
Published
Prepared with AI assistance using the sources and clinic information linked in this guide. This article provides general information and does not replace an individual assessment or medical advice.
Your child uses Malay with one relative, English at school and another language with grandparents. When communication feels difficult, it can be tempting to blame the number of languages. A more useful starting point is understanding what your child communicates, with whom and in which situations.
For families in Sabah, a speech and language conversation should make room for the languages that connect a child to everyday life. You do not need to remove that context to ask for help.
Does learning two languages cause speech delay?
Using more than one language does not itself cause a speech or language delay. Mixing words from different languages can be an expected part of multilingual communication. The Communication Health Support Association’s multilingual development guide, linked from ASHA, explains these points and encourages families to use languages they are comfortable speaking.
This does not mean every communication concern should be dismissed as bilingual development. If you are worried, a speech-language professional can explore the child’s needs. The question is broader than whether a child performs like a monolingual speaker in one brief conversation.
Make a simple language map
Before an appointment, write down which languages your child hears and uses. Include home, school, childcare and regular contact with relatives. Note any recent changes, such as beginning school in a different language.
For example: “Grandmother speaks mainly Malay during the day. We use English and Malay after work. The child recently joined a class taught mainly in English.” This is background for assessment, not a formula for deciding how much exposure is enough.
Also describe what each language lets your child do. Can they ask for a familiar item, understand a routine or tell someone what happened? Avoid reducing the whole picture to a single word count.
Bring examples of communication that works and communication that is hard
A balanced description helps the professional understand strengths as well as concerns. You might say: “At home, she can explain what she wants to play. At school, the teacher says she struggles to explain when she needs help.” Ask the teacher for a specific example rather than a general judgement about ability.
- What was the child trying to communicate?
- Which language was being used?
- Was the topic or person familiar?
- What gestures, pictures or other supports helped?
These observations are discussion material. Parents do not need to administer their own language test or decide whether a difference is a disorder.
Ask how assessment will account for your child’s languages
Tell the service about the language map when enquiring. Ask which languages the professional can assess directly and how information about other languages will be gathered. If an interpreter or additional input is needed, clarify arrangements before the appointment.
Ask what a proposed result can and cannot tell you. You can also ask how recommendations will work for the people who care for the child. Advice that a grandparent cannot understand or use deserves further discussion.
Speech therapy enquiries in Penampang
MY Psychology KK’s speech therapy service is a starting point for concerns about communication. Share your child’s age, languages and one or two examples of the difficulty. Confirm the professional’s language coverage and appointment suitability; this guide does not promise assessment in every language.
Should everyone switch to English?
That is not an automatic response to a speech concern. Discuss your family’s actual communication needs with the professional. The multilingual development guide above supports maintaining comfortable, meaningful language use.
Should we wait because our child is bilingual?
Bilingualism alone is not a reason to postpone discussing a concern. Our speech delay guide helps you prepare the wider conversation.