Am I Confusing My Child By Speaking to them in a Language Other Than English?

This question sits in the back of the minds of parents, family members, teachers, and medical professionals of children with developmental language impairments. After all, we want to support our kids in the best way we can and help them to reach their full communicative potential! It makes total sense, if my kid is having a hard time understanding one language, why should I put two or more into them? 

The answer is, that the more language your kid understands and the more rules they can gather about how to use language, the better they will apply those skills to their second, third, or even fourth languages. This aligns with how typically developing children learn a second language as well, this author often makes language transfer mistakes by applying the rules of English to Spanish when speaking, these mistakes, when (nicely!) pointed out and corrected by other Spanish speakers, further solidify her understanding of the language. According to Bilinguistics, team of Speech-Language Pathologists who specialize in Autism and Bilingualism, “Bilingual children transfer abilities from the home language to second language.” This means that “strong first language syntax/vocabulary/use leads to stronger second language communication.” 

Back to the question at hand, should you speak to your delayed child in your native language? Absolutely! Give them as many examples of how to use language as you can. This can show up in recasting, repeating the child’s incorrect sentence using correct grammar, expanding, using more words to repeat what your child just said, or even just conversation with your kid, giving them the chance to practice their languaging skills with a safe adult. Beyond their skills as a language user, speaking your native language with your child supports their connection to your and their culture, family, and the community, as well as supporting a strong sense of self, all things we want for our kids. 

Beyond their developing skills to understand your language, give them the chance to speak it with you or their peers. There is strong evidence to suggest that kids who use multiple languages and intentionally mix their use of them (code switching), have a strong understanding of language as a whole (Obergolser, 2026). Kids also learn a lot about how language works and how to use it from their peers. When they are in school, in afterschool clubs, or with same aged family, they should use the language that most supports their communication with the people around them. 

So the next time you wonder if your child with a linguistic disability needs you to “choose” one language, know that when kids are expose to any kind of language they’re learning, growing, and developing closer to you and themselves. 

References: 

Bilinguistics Team. (2026, August 12). Should parents speak the home language to their child if he has an impairment?. Bilinguistics. https://bilinguistics.com/speak-the-home-language/ 

Obergolser, M. (2026, May 14). Bilingual-brains: What is code-switching and what cognitive process underlies code-switching?. EURAC Research. https://www.eurac.edu/en/blogs/connecting-the-dots/bilingual-brains-what-is-code-switching-and-what-cognitive-process-underlies-code