What is it about?
The number of children who grow up learning two or more languages is steadily increasing worldwide. Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) find it difficult to determine if the speech errors in children who learn multiple languages are caused by a speech sound disorder or due to learning two or more languages. We show that children who speak both Dutch and English can repeat non-words with less errors compared to other tasks used to test their speech production.
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Why is it important?
Our study results recommend the use of tasks that are language neutral like non-words (novel words which don’t have a meaning but follow the sound system of a language). This aid SLPs with their clinical decision making to identify speech sound disorders in bilingual children.
Perspectives
This paper holds personal significance for me, as I am a bilingual and have worked as a Speech language pathologist before. Our study provides valuable insights that informs clinical practice with bilingual children. This research is particularly important given the increasing number of children growing up learning multiple languages worldwide.
Bhavana Bhat
University of Iowa Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Speech Sound Production in Australian English–Dutch Bilingual Children, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, March 2025, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2024_ajslp-24-00261.
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