Embracing multiple languages and cultures across the lifespan

Yes, Neurodivergent Children Can Be Multilingual!

Neurodivergence is a widely discussed topic today, and efforts are underway to adapt social and educational environments – traditionally designed for neurotypical children – to be more inclusive. One of the key goals of inclusive education is to adjust tasks and activities so that neurodivergent children can fully participate. However, embracing neurodiversity goes beyond accommodation; it means accepting, celebrating, and supporting neurodivergent children as they are. Their differences are part of natural human variation and do not need to be fixed or changed.

Speech and Language Therapists and Multilinguals

In my practice as Language Consultant for Multilingual Families I sometimes refer families to speech and language therapists (SLT’s) when I think that the children need some professional support with their speech or language development. I can’t stress this enough, but SLT’s who work with multilingual children should have a solid understanding of the typical

Signs of Communication Disorders

How can we find out if our child has a communication disorder?

Let’s talk about: Multilingual children and Speech Therapy – an interview with Millie Slavidou

Speech therapy and multilingual children is a topic that needs more attention and research, and speech therapists, teachers and health practitioners need to be more informed about it. When I shared articles and best practices about this in facebook groups, I had very interesting feedback and discussions on- and offline, and in personal chats. It

The advantage of being bilingual for children with ASD

I have followed the debate concerning the “bilingual advantage” concerning executive functions and hoped that this would also be tested for children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders). Prof. Aparna Nadig from the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at McGill University recently published a paper in Child Development, on her findings demonstrating that the “bilingual

Can SEN children become bilingual?

One of the biggest myths when it comes to bilingualism is that it causes language delay in children. I understand that if a child is a “late speaker” or has some speech issues, teachers and parents often think that the reason for this is because the child is overwhelmed by all the languages. The first thought is,