Will being bilingual delay speech? A bilingual speech-language pathologist explains what research shows, why the myth persists, and when delay is real.
No. Being bilingual does not delay speech. That has been the consistent finding of speech-language research for at least three decades, supported by ASHA, the CDC, and every major position statement on bilingualism in child development. And yet I still hear this myth in pediatrician offices every week.
Here’s what the research actually shows, why the myth persists, and the few times when a speech delay is real (and what to do).
Bilingual children hit the same speech-and-language milestones as monolingual children, within the same age ranges. About 5–10% of all children have a speech or language delay — that rate is identical in bilingual and monolingual populations.
What changes in bilingual children is how you measure progress, not the underlying ability.
A few reasons this won’t die:
A bilingual 2-year-old might know 40 words in English and 35 in Spanish — a total of 75 unique words. A monolingual 2-year-old might know 70 in English alone. If you measure only English, the bilingual child appears behind. They aren’t.
Some pediatricians and SLPs received their training before the bilingualism research consolidated in the 2000s and 2010s. The advice “drop one language to help speech” reflects outdated thinking.
A family knows one bilingual child who was a late talker; they conclude bilingualism delayed speech. They didn’t know the same child would have been a late talker monolingually too. Roughly 1 in 7 toddlers (about 13–15%) are late talkers regardless of language exposure (ASHA, Late Language Emergence).
A bilingual toddler saying “Quiero un cookie” is doing sophisticated linguistic work, not failing. See why your bilingual child mixes English and Spanish.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) explicitly states that bilingualism does not cause or worsen language delays. From their official position: bilingual children should be evaluated in both languages, and dropping one language is not a treatment for speech delay.
Major bilingualism researchers (including frequently-cited work by Dr. Erika Hoff, Dr. Ellen Bialystok, Dr. Barbara Pearson, and others) have shown:
See our deeper take in bilingual children myths debunked and the bilingual brain.
Here’s the trick most non-bilingual SLPs miss. To measure a bilingual toddler’s vocabulary fairly, count unique concepts across both languages — not just one language.
Example for a 24-month-old:
| Word | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| dog | yes | perro (no) |
| cat | yes | gato (yes) |
| more | yes | más (yes) |
| water | no | agua (yes) |
| ball | yes | pelota (no) |
That child’s unique-concept count is 5, not 3 (English alone). Bilingual count is the appropriate metric. See more in bilingual toddler vocabulary counting both languages.
A delay is real (and worth evaluating) when, across both languages combined, the child shows:
If any of these are happening, get an evaluation. From a bilingual SLP ideally.
Worried your child has a delay? Don’t blame Spanish first. Start with an evaluation in both languages. And keep using the 12-month curriculum — structured bilingual input supports, not harms, kids with delays.
If a pediatrician or SLP tells you to drop Spanish (or any second language) to “help” your child’s speech, get a second opinion. From ASHA’s perspective, this advice:
The right move is the opposite: maintain bilingual input and get evaluated in both languages by someone qualified.
See our full discussion in should you stop teaching Spanish if your child has a speech delay and bilingual development for children with speech and language differences.
Some bilingual toddlers go through a silent period where they understand both languages but speak less than expected for a few months. This is not a delay — it’s a normal phase as the child sorts the two systems. Usually resolves in 1–3 months.
The silent period is real. It’s also commonly misdiagnosed as a delay. See why your bilingual toddler isn’t talking back.
Roughly 1 in 7 toddlers (about 13–15%) are “late talkers” — slower to start speaking but typically catch up by age 3 or 4. Bilingual late talkers are no different.
If your bilingual 2-year-old has fewer than 50 total words (across both languages combined), it’s reasonable to:
Most late talkers catch up fully. Those who don’t benefit from early intervention — in both languages.
A few statements you might hear that are wrong:
| Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
| ”Pick one language until age 5” | No research support; harmful to identity |
| ”Bilingualism causes stuttering” | False — see bilingual stuttering and disfluencies |
| ”Bilingual kids talk later” | Some do, but the rate matches monolinguals |
| ”Mixing languages = confusion” | Mixing = sophisticated processing |
| ”Wait until English is solid” | Bilingual exposure should be early and continuous |
While we’re here, the positive research is worth knowing. Bilingual children show:
The point isn’t that bilingualism makes kids “smarter.” It’s that the supposed cost (speech delay) isn’t real, and there are documented benefits.
A short script:
“Research from ASHA and decades of speech-language studies show bilingualism doesn’t delay speech. My pediatrician is on board, and we measure her vocabulary across both languages combined. She’s right on track.”
That’s it. Don’t argue science with people who don’t read science. Just hold your line.
If you want the deeper version:
For a structured bilingual program that supports rather than competes with speech development, the Palabra Garden 12-month curriculum is built by an SLP specifically with this research in mind. The free printable is a no-cost starting point.
It’s a myth in the way it’s usually stated. Bilingual kids hit the same milestones, in the same age ranges, as monolingual kids. Roughly 1 in 7 toddlers of any background (about 13–15%) are “late talkers” — that ratio is identical in bilingual and monolingual populations.
Get a second opinion, ideally from a bilingual SLP. This advice contradicts ASHA’s official position. You can also share ASHA’s bilingualism statement with your pediatrician — many will reconsider when they see it in writing.
Count vocabulary across both languages combined. A child with fewer than 50 unique words at 24 months (across both languages) warrants evaluation. A child with 50+ words split unevenly across languages is typically fine.
No. Bilingualism does not cause stuttering. The research on whether prevalence differs is mixed — but a child’s underlying tendency to stutter exists regardless of how many languages they hear. Brief disfluencies are normal in bilingual toddlers — see bilingual stuttering and disfluencies.
No upper limit, but earlier is easier. Early childhood is the easiest window for picking up a second language — it comes with far less deliberate effort than it tends to later on. See when should I start teaching my child Spanish.
Bilingualism is also safe and beneficial for children with autism, Down syndrome, and other neurodevelopmental conditions. See bilingual development for children with speech and language differences for the research.
This page is part of Palabra Garden. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt