Working With Monolingual Speech Therapists as a Bilingual Family

You’ve been told your child would benefit from speech therapy. You search your insurance network, check your local referrals, and call around. The reality sinks in: the three available SLPs in your area all work in English only. None has experience with bilingual children. You face a choice: drop Spanish for the duration of therapy, compromise by sending your child to monolingual-only therapy while trying to maintain Spanish at home, or spend months searching for a bilingual SLP who may not exist within reasonable distance.

This is the situation many bilingual families face, and it’s genuinely difficult. But here’s what the research tells us, and what I see work consistently in my practice: children with speech-language disorders benefit from intervention in both languages. Dropping Spanish — even temporarily “just for therapy” — is not necessary and often undermines progress both in therapy and at home.

The good news is that monolingual therapy can work for bilingual children, if you (the parent) become the bilingual bridge. It takes intentional strategy, honest communication with your therapist, and clarity about what you’re asking for. But it’s absolutely doable.

Why Dropping Spanish Is Not the Answer (Even Though It Might Seem Like It)

I hear this suggestion regularly from well-meaning professionals: “Let’s focus on English for now and build a stronger foundation. You can add Spanish back later.”

The research doesn’t support this approach. Studies on bilingual children with language disorders show that:

Maintaining the home language supports therapy progress. A bilingual child who continues receiving Spanish input while in English speech therapy shows comparable or better overall language growth than a child who drops Spanish. The brain doesn’t have a language “shortage” problem — it’s not that Spanish is taking up space that could be used for English.

Language development is interconnected. Phonological awareness, grammar, narrative ability — these develop across languages. A child learning past tense in English therapy can apply that learning to Spanish grammar at home. The skills transfer.

The social-emotional cost of dropping Spanish is real. A child told “We’re not speaking Spanish while you’re in therapy” gets the message that Spanish is less important, less helpful, or something to be fixed. This erodes language pride and identity — and often makes the child less willing to speak the minority language after therapy ends.

Re-establishing Spanish is hard. If you successfully drop Spanish for 6 months of therapy and then try to resume it, you may find your child has drifted toward English-only and is reluctant to switch back. The “pause” often becomes permanent.

So let’s assume you’re keeping Spanish in the picture. How do you work with a monolingual SLP in that context?

What to Ask Your Monolingual SLP

The foundation of successful bilingual therapy with a monolingual practitioner is transparency and specific requests. When you have your initial consultation or intake, say something like:

“My child is growing up bilingual — she’s exposed to Spanish at home with me and English at school. I’m not dropping Spanish during therapy. I’m looking for a therapist who’s comfortable coaching me on how to carry over the therapy goals at home in Spanish, even though you might not speak Spanish yourself. Is that something you’re open to?”

Most SLPs will agree once they understand you’re not asking them to become bilingual, just willing to partner with you as the bilingual expert in your own home.

Then ask specifically:

“How will you assess my child’s full language profile?” Push back on English-only assessment. Ask the SLP to gather information from you about what your child produces and understands in Spanish. Request that they count conceptually (a word in both languages = one concept, not two).

“Will you adjust your expectations based on bilingual norms?” A bilingual child with lower English vocabulary but age-appropriate total vocabulary should not be flagged as delayed. Make sure the SLP understands this.

“What are the main goals for therapy, and how can I practice them in Spanish at home?” This is crucial. If the goal is “Use ‘is’ in sentences” or “Answer ‘wh-’ questions,” you need to know how to target this in Spanish too: “¿Qué es esto?” and “¿Cuál es el color?” Code-switching between languages during carryover activities is fine — your child will do it naturally anyway.

“Are you willing to consult with a bilingual SLP if questions come up?” Sometimes a monolingual SLP will encounter a pattern they’re unsure about in the context of bilingualism. Ask whether they’re open to a brief consultation with a bilingual colleague. Many SLPs are — and it costs nothing.

“Can you help me understand what’s a disorder versus a bilingual pattern?” Code-switching, accent influence from Spanish, or different word order in English influenced by Spanish grammar — these aren’t deficits. Make sure your SLP knows the difference between a true error pattern and a bilingual feature.

Your Role as the Bilingual Bridge

Here’s the reality: you’re going to do as much teaching as the monolingual SLP, just in a different language. This isn’t a second-class version of therapy — it’s essential.

When your SLP gives you carryover activities, your job is to:

Translate the goal, not the activity. If the therapist gives you a picture-naming activity for English vocabulary, you’re not limited to doing the exact same activity in Spanish. The goal is vocabulary building. You could sing songs, narrate at the park, or read books in Spanish targeting similar concepts. The medium changes; the goal stays the same.

Use natural routines. The most powerful carryover happens in everyday contexts where language naturally appears. If your child’s goal is to use two-word combinations, don’t sit down for a formal “therapy session” in Spanish. Use mealtimes, bath time, and car rides. “Quieres leche? Leche fría.” “Donde zapatos? Zapatos grandes.”

Code-switch authentically. If your natural way of speaking with your child mixes languages, keep doing it. Your child hears both English and Spanish in real life anyway. The idea that you need to keep languages “pure” for therapy is outdated. Bilingual children are code-switchers. That’s normal and healthy.

Celebrate progress in both languages. If your child says a tricky sound in English in therapy but hasn’t used it in Spanish yet, that’s still progress. The underlying motor control is developing. Keep exposing that sound in Spanish; it will emerge.

Ask for data. Request that your SLP tracks not just English progress but also asks you regularly about Spanish. “Have you heard her produce any of these sounds in Spanish?” This keeps both languages visible to the therapist and reminds them that you’re a team.

When to Seek a Bilingual Consultation

Even if you’re working successfully with a monolingual SLP, there are moments when bilingual expertise is genuinely valuable. Consider requesting a consultation with a bilingual SLP if:

Your child is showing patterns the monolingual SLP can’t interpret bilingually. If your child says “el casa” (Spanish grammar + English article order), is that a disorder or a code-mixed phrase? A monolingual English SLP might misinterpret this as a grammatical error when it might be normal mixing.

Progress is slower than expected, and language balance is shifting. If your child is strong in English but declining in Spanish, or vice versa, a bilingual SLP can help you understand whether the disorder is affecting both languages equally or whether the language imbalance itself needs to be addressed.

You’re unsure whether your home carryover is effective. A bilingual SLP can listen to your Spanish sessions and give you feedback on your strategies in a way a monolingual SLP cannot.

Your child is being discharged and you want continuity in both languages. A bilingual SLP can do a final assessment across both languages and send your monolingual therapist a report on how to monitor long-term progress bilingually.

Many bilingual SLPs offer consultative services at a lower rate than regular therapy, or some do initial consultations for free. It’s worth asking.

The Reality of Limited Resources

I won’t minimize this: it’s frustrating that so few SLPs are trained in bilingual assessment and therapy. You shouldn’t have to do this much advocacy and self-education just to access appropriate services. The shortage of bilingual SLPs is a real systems problem.

But in the meantime, you have options. And you have more expertise than you might think. You are your child’s primary language model, the one who knows her full linguistic profile better than anyone, and the one with the most contact hours to reinforce therapy goals.

Monolingual therapy can work. Working with a monolingual SLP requires more intentionality from you, but it’s not a lesser choice — it’s an informed choice made in the context of limited access.

Advocating for Your Child

Throughout this process, you’re advocating. Advocating means:

Speaking up when something doesn’t feel right. If a therapist is strongly recommending you drop Spanish, or dismissing your bilingual profile as not relevant to therapy, that’s worth questioning.

Asking for explanation when you don’t understand. “Can you help me understand why you think Spanish is interfering?” or “Help me see how this goal translates into Spanish goals for home.”

Tracking your own data. You notice patterns in your child’s language the SLP doesn’t see. Write them down. Share them. You’re not interrupting or being difficult — you’re providing essential clinical information.

Finding your community. Other bilingual families are navigating this too. Connecting with them (through local parent groups or online communities like Palabra Garden) helps you feel less alone and gives you strategies that work.

Key Takeaway: Bilingual Children Deserve Bilingual Support — But Monolingual Therapy Can Work

In an ideal world, every child needing speech therapy would have access to a bilingual SLP. We’re not there yet. The reality is that many families will work with monolingual therapists.

When you do, you’re not compromising your child’s bilingual development. You’re being resourceful, strategic, and smart. You’re becoming your child’s bilingual bridge. You’re maintaining the home language while accessing the services your child needs. And you’re teaching your child that bilingualism is worth advocating for.

That’s powerful modeling of language pride.

For scripts to use when talking with monolingual SLPs, a guide to translating therapy goals into Spanish carryover activities, and bilingual SLP finder resources, download our free bilingual resources guide. And for a complete developmental framework that shows you what bilingual language growth looks like across both languages throughout the toddler and preschool years, the Palabra Garden 12-Month Bilingual Curriculum is a companion to any therapy your child receives.

Related reading: Speech Delay vs. Bilingual Difference — How to Tell | Bilingual Development for Children With Speech and Language Differences

About the Author

Hi, I’m Lindsey Carleton, MA, CCC-SLP, a bilingual speech-language pathologist with more than 11 years of experience and a fellow toddler mom. I created Palabra Garden to support families who want intentional, play-based learning at home.

Through my work as an SLP, I’ve seen how powerful early language, social-emotional development, and hands-on learning can be for toddlers and preschool-aged children. Palabra Garden brings those same principles into your home with bilingual activities, preschool curriculum ideas, and simple strategies that support growing minds.

I believe children learn best through connection, curiosity, and everyday moments of discovery.