Language Development in Bilingual Children: A Pediatrician's Guide

Speech and language development are critical areas of a child's health and are monitored by primary care pediatricians at all routine visits. Given the prevalence of bilingual children and families in the United States, pediatric clinicians must be able to provide appropriate anticipatory guidance regarding bilingual language development in children. Pediatric clinicians must also be able to recognize signs of speech/language delays or disorders in bilingual children to provide appropriate evaluation and resources. This column aims to provide a foundation for pediatric clinicians in principles of bilingual language development and to address several common questions or misconceptions regarding bilingual language development that may be held by families, clinicians, and/or educators.