New to this topic? Start with our companion article: Bridging Therapy for Bilingual Children: A Brisbane Speech Pathologist's Guide
In our companion article, we introduced bridging therapy as a framework — the idea that a multilingual child's home languages can scaffold their overall communication development. But what does that actually look like on a Tuesday afternoon in a therapy room (or on your kitchen floor)? This article is the hands-on follow-up: what to expect in a session, how to work with interpreters, and how to support every language your family uses at home.
What Does a Bridging Therapy Session Look Like?
Every session looks a bit different depending on a child's age, their languages, and what they're working on. Broadly, a session using bridging principles tends to weave three things together.
Acknowledging every language in the room
The session often starts with a check-in that makes space for every language in the child's life — whether that's two, three, or more. The therapist might ask your child (or you) to share something about the weekend in whichever language feels most natural. This sets the tone that all of the family's languages are welcome and valued. Pictures, objects, and visual supports help bridge the gap when the therapist and child don't share a language — a picture of a dog is a dog whether you call it a dog, a 狗, a كلب, or a perro.Pre-teaching concepts in the home language
If a session is going to focus on, say, words for different emotions, the therapist might ask you to introduce those words in your home language first. Your child might already know the concept in your language, in which case the English word is just a new label for something familiar.Modelling in English with home language follow-up
The therapist will model target words, sounds or sentences in English and give your child chances to practise — with an awareness of how your home language shapes their English. Home practice during the week is then often done in the home language, so the family gets to keep using the language they're most fluent in while the English targets keep moving along.Working with Interpreters and Bilingual Co-Workers
One of the biggest practical challenges of bridging therapy is that most speech pathologists in Australia speak English (and maybe one other language). Your home language — or languages, if your family speaks more than one alongside English — might not be ones they speak. That doesn't mean bridging therapy is off the table — it just means we need to be creative.
Professional interpreters
For assessment sessions and important discussions about your child's progress, a professional interpreter can make a huge difference. Interpreters help ensure that:- You can share detailed information about your child's communication in both languages
- The speech pathologist can ask specific questions about your child's home language skills
- You fully understand the assessment results and therapy recommendations
- You can ask questions and share concerns in the language you're most comfortable in
Many speech pathology practices can arrange interpreter services through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National), which is available for Australian residents. Your speech pathologist should be able to help arrange this.
Bilingual co-workers and support staff
Some practices are fortunate to have team members who speak community languages. A bilingual speech pathology assistant or support worker can be incredibly valuable — they can help with assessment in the home language, model targets in both languages during sessions, and communicate with families more naturally.Your role as the language expert
Here's something really important: you are the expert in your child's home language. Even if your speech pathologist doesn't speak your language, you can play an active role in bridging therapy by:- Telling the therapist what words and sounds your child uses in your home language
- Letting them know if a speech sound they're targeting doesn't exist in your language
- Practising therapy targets in your language at home
- Sharing videos or recordings of your child communicating in the home language
This kind of collaboration is at the heart of bridging therapy. You and the speech pathologist are a team.
How Families Can Support Both Languages at Home
"Should I stop speaking my language at home and switch to English?" Almost certainly no — even when a family is juggling three or more home languages. (If you'd like the full research case for this, our myth-busting article walks through it.) Thordardottir (2011) showed that the amount of input a child gets in each language directly predicts vocabulary in that language — so cutting off home language input doesn't help English, it just weakens the home language. Here's how you can support both languages at home.
I've worked with bilingual children across a wide range of home languages, and the families whose children do best are almost always the ones who've been encouraged to keep speaking their strongest language at home.
Keep speaking your home language
Speak to your child in the language that comes most naturally to you. Your fluent, rich, emotionally connected language input is more valuable to your child's development than stilted English would be. If you're most expressive, funny, and loving in Vietnamese, speak Vietnamese. Books, songs, family stories and folk tales in your home language all count — if books are hard to find, oral storytelling builds the same language skills as reading.Create natural contexts for each language
Think about when and where your child uses each language. Maybe the home language is for home and extended family, and English is for school and friends. Code-switching (moving between languages within a conversation) is completely normal and not confusion — but clear, consistent contexts for each language also help children build strong models of both.Celebrate bilingualism
Let your child know that speaking two languages is something special. Talk about the countries and cultures connected to your languages. Help them feel proud of their bilingual identity.Tips for Choosing a Speech Pathologist Who Understands Bilingual Development
Not all speech pathologists have the same level of experience with bilingual children. If you're looking for a speech pathologist for your bilingual child, here are some questions to ask:
- "Will you consider my child's home language in assessment?" — A good speech pathologist will want to know about your child's skills in all languages, not just English.
- "Will you encourage us to keep using our home language?" — If a speech pathologist tells you to stop speaking your home language, that's a red flag. Current best practice is to support all of a child's languages.
- "How do you work with interpreters or bilingual staff?" — Even if the speech pathologist doesn't speak your language, they should have a plan for how to include your home language in the process.
You Know Your Child Best
Bridging therapy works best when families and speech pathologists work as genuine partners. You bring the knowledge of your child, your language, and your culture. We bring the clinical expertise. Together, we can support your child's communication in a way that respects and strengthens all of their languages.
Alexandra Bouwmeester is a Senior Speech Pathologist (MSPA, CPSP) with experience supporting culturally and linguistically diverse families. She offers mobile speech pathology to multilingual families across Brisbane's south side and Logan.
If you'd like to talk about how bridging therapy could support your bilingual child, contact Speaking Speech Pathology — we'd love to hear from you.
References
- Kohnert, K. (2010). Bilingual children with primary language impairment: Issues, evidence and implications for clinical actions. Journal of Communication Disorders, 43(6), 456–473.
- Thordardottir, E. (2011). The relationship between bilingual exposure and vocabulary development. International Journal of Bilingualism, 15(4), 426–445.
- Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National). (2024). Services for non-English speakers. Australian Government Department of Home Affairs.
