The Hola Blog

Unfortunately, many erroneous beliefs still persist with regard to language acquisition in bilingual children. The above infographic was created to help dispel these myths and to encourage practices that promote multilingualism. Please help by downloading and posting this image in public spaces, including social media platforms and classrooms, in order to educate the public. To obtain the infographic, right click the image and select “save image as” to save it to your own computer. A Spanish version will be posted shortly for dissemination, as well.

Special thanks to Tatyana Elleseff, M.A., CCC-SLP, and Amalia Hernandez, M.S., CCC-SLP, for their consultation and guidance via peer-review of the infographic.

For additional information on bilingual language development, appropriate practices, efficient testing methods, and up-to-date terminology beyond the citations listed on the infographic, consult the following articles:

Bedore, L. M., & Pena, E. D. (2008). Assessment of bilingual children for identification of language impairment: Current findings and implications for practice. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 11(1), 1-29. (PDF)

Elleseff, T. (2016). Embracing ‘translanguaging’ practices: A tutorial for SLPs. New Jersey Speech-Language Hearing Association VOICES. Summer 2016. (link to article on author’s website)

Roseberry-McKibbin, C. (1994). Assessment and intervention for children with limited English proficiency and language disorders. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 3(3), 77-88. (PDF)