Speech and language therapists' perception of bilingualism for children with language delay

Abstract

Bilingualism is common in multilingual countries like Bangladesh, where children learn various languages as they grow up. In this study, ten Speech and Language Therapists from the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP)were interviewed to gather their opinions on bilingualism, its effects on language development, and the challenges of working with bilingual children. The findings indicate a disagreement among Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) regarding bilingualism. Some therapists believe that learning two languages can lead to language deficits, as one language might be acquired more slowly than the other. In contrast, others argue that these delays are temporary and can be simply addressed with appropriate support. Despite these differing viewpoints, most SLTs agree that bilingualism offers cognitive benefits, such as enhanced problem-solving skills. The research also highlighted insufficient resources and a lack of training often present challenges for SLTs when working with multilingual children. This study highlights the lack of bilingualism and language deficits in an SLT's training, as well as a lack of assessment tools. It focuses on family participation in the language development of bilingual children. Greater SLT training and more resources available to multilingual children will ultimately increase the quality of care delivered. It plays a vital role in improving the speech rehabilitation process of individuals and multilingual children and individuals with language deficits in Bangladesh. Keywords: Speech and Language Therapy (SLT), Speech and Language Therapist (SLT), Bilingualism, Language Delay, Language development, Language disorder