"Just speak English." If your child has a developmental disability and your family speaks another language at home — or two, or three — there's a good chance someone has said this to you. Sometimes it's a teacher, sometimes a relative, sometimes a health professional. The logic sounds reasonable: a child already struggling with language will be overwhelmed by multiple languages, so simplify things. It sounds logical. But the evidence says it's wrong.
We have a separate article on the general myths about bilingualism — this one is specifically for families whose children have a disability, because that's where the pressure to drop the home language tends to be strongest, and where the stakes for getting it right are highest.
Bilingualism Doesn't Make a Disability "Worse"
Twenty years of research consistently shows that bilingual children with developmental disabilities develop language at similar rates to monolingual children with the same disabilities. The disability affects their language learning — bilingualism does not add an extra burden on top of it.
Here's some of the key evidence:
Children with Down syndrome
Professor Elizabeth Kay-Raining Bird and her colleagues have conducted extensive research on bilingual children with Down syndrome. Their findings? Bilingual children with Down syndrome develop language skills that are comparable to those of monolingual children with Down syndrome. Bilingualism does not put them at a disadvantage (Kay-Raining Bird et al., 2005; Kay-Raining Bird, Genesee, & Verhoeven, 2016).Children with language impairment
Researchers Elizabeth Peña and colleagues have studied bilingual children with developmental language difficulties extensively. Their work shows that bilingual children with language impairment show similar patterns of difficulty to monolingual children with language impairment — the bilingualism isn't making things worse. Crucially, they've also developed better ways to tell the difference between a genuine language impairment and the normal patterns of bilingual language development, which can sometimes look similar on the surface (Peña, Gillam, & Bedore, 2014).Children with autism
Research on bilingual autistic children has found no evidence that bilingualism negatively affects their language development or their autistic characteristics. Bilingual autistic children show similar language profiles to monolingual autistic children, and there is emerging evidence that bilingualism may even offer some social and cognitive benefits (Drysdale, van der Meer, & Kagohara, 2015).I've supported many bilingual children who also have additional needs — including DLD, autism, and complex communication profiles — and in my experience the home language has never been the problem. What's made the biggest difference is families feeling permitted to keep using it.
Why Dropping the Home Language Can Cause Harm
When families are told to stop speaking their home language, the consequences can be far-reaching — and they go well beyond language itself.
Loss of family connection
Your home language is the language of your family. It's how you express love, share stories, pass down cultural knowledge, and connect across generations. If grandparents speak limited English, asking a family to switch to English at home can effectively cut children off from their grandparents and extended family. That's a significant loss.Impact on identity
Language is deeply tied to identity and belonging. When a child is told — directly or indirectly — that their home language isn't important, or that it's holding them back, it can affect how they feel about themselves, their family, and their cultural heritage. For children with disabilities who may already be navigating questions of identity and difference, this adds another layer of complexity.Reduced quality of language input
Parents are most expressive, most natural, and most effective as language models in the language they speak best. If a parent switches to English when it's not their strongest language, the quality of the language input their child receives may actually decrease. The child may end up hearing less rich, less complex, less emotionally connected language — which is the opposite of what they need.The home language may not come back
If a young child stops hearing and using their home language during critical developmental years, they may not be able to pick it up later. Languages need ongoing exposure and use to develop and be maintained. The decision to drop a language is often not easily reversed.What the Professional Bodies Say
Speech Pathology Australia is clear in its position: speech pathologists should support continued bilingualism for children with communication difficulties, including those with developmental disabilities. Assessment and intervention should consider all of a child's languages, and families should be encouraged to maintain their home language (Speech Pathology Australia, n.d.).
This aligns with broader Australian policy that values multilingualism and cultural diversity. The Australian Government's Multicultural Framework recognises that cultural and linguistic diversity is a strength, and that all Australians should have the opportunity to maintain their cultural and linguistic heritage.
This includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. First Nations children may grow up speaking traditional languages, Aboriginal English, Kriol, and/or Standard Australian English, and all of these are valuable parts of a child's linguistic identity. When a First Nations child has a disability, the same principle applies: their home language varieties should be respected and supported, not replaced. Culturally responsive speech pathologists work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to honour the language experiences that are meaningful to their child and community.
Where a Speech Pathologist Fits In
Supporting a bilingual child who also has a disability is more nuanced than translating word lists. It involves the family, the child's strongest language, the way each language is used at home, and — often — the child's communication system, whether that's speech, AAC, signing, or a mix. This is the kind of work that benefits from a tailored plan, built alongside the family.
If your child has a disability and your family speaks a language other than English at home, the research is consistent on two things. First, keep speaking your home language — it will not harm your child's English development or make their disability worse. Second, if someone tells you to drop your home language, the evidence does not support that advice. A speech pathologist who understands bilingual development can help you think through how to support both languages, and approaches like bridging therapy are specifically designed to do this.
Every Language Matters
Your home language is not a barrier to your child's development. It's a gift. It connects your child to their family, their culture, and their community. And the research tells us it can sit alongside English — even for children with disabilities — without causing harm.
Ready for practical strategies? Read our companion article: Supporting Bilingual Children with Disabilities: Evidence-Based Speech Pathology in Brisbane
Alexandra Bouwmeester is a Senior Speech Pathologist (MSPA, CPSP) with over 14 years' experience supporting children with complex communication needs. She offers mobile speech pathology to families across Brisbane's south side and Logan.
Your home language is not a barrier to your child's development — it's a bridge to connection, identity, and belonging. At Speaking Speech Pathology, we're committed to supporting bilingual children and their families whatever their communication profile. If you'd like to talk about how we can support your child in all of their languages, we'd love to hear from you.
References
- Drysdale, H., van der Meer, L., & Kagohara, D. (2015). Children with autism spectrum disorder from bilingual families: A systematic review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2(1), 26–38.
- Kay-Raining Bird, E., Genesee, F., & Verhoeven, L. (2016). Bilingualism in children with developmental disorders: A narrative review. Journal of Communication Disorders, 63, 1–14.
- Peña, E. D., Gillam, R. B., & Bedore, L. M. (2014). Dynamic assessment of narrative ability in English accurately identifies language impairment in English language learners. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 57(6), 2208–2220.
