Bilingualism Myths You Need to Know - Paula Acuña MA, CCC-SLP

<p>To kick off our 2023 episodes, Paula Acuña MA, CCC-SLP joins the podcast to dispel myths about bilingualism. We discuss speaking multiple languages at home, contrastive analysis, language delay, students in the classroom, and more!</p><p><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>EPISODE SPONSOR – MED TRAVELERS</p><p>Become a Travel SLP at: https://www.medtravelers.com/</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>TIMESTAMPS:</p><p>(0:00) Introduction</p><p>(3:01) Paula’s Background</p><p>(10:22) If a student has any learning challenges or is exceptional, they cannot learn more than 1 language</p><p>(15:44)  If a child has a language difficulty, then the family should only speak to them in English at home</p><p>(16:47) What is Contrastive Analysis</p><p>(18:17) Learning more than one language may be too confusing to children and lead to a language delay, decreased cognitive abilities, or academic problems</p><p>(25:20) The older someone is, the harder it is to acquire a second language</p><p>(31:14) Once students can speak English, they are ready to learn and succeed in a mainstream classroom.</p><p>(36:52) It is a sign of a child being lazy if they mix two languages together instead of just using them one at a time.</p><p>(41:21) Bilingual children will perfectly use and have equal knowledge of both languages.</p><p>(43:33) Who Paula works with</p><p>(53:50) What if a listener is interested in learning more about this</p><p>(57:00) Lightning Question Round!</p><p> </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> </p><p>ABOUT THE GUEST</p><p>Paula Acuña is an ASHA-certified bilingual (Spanish-English) speech-language pathologist and private practice owner based in the Chicagoland area. Her company, Ms. Paula, SLP, provides in-home, on-site, and teletherapy services and recently launched Bilingual Speech Online, a parent-child coaching program for bilingual families that delivers online modules supple