Does simultaneous bilingualism aggravate children’s specific language problems?

Abstract

Aim: There is little data on whether or not a bilingual upbringing may aggravate specific language problems in children. This study analysed whether there was an interaction of such problems and simultaneous bilingualism.Methods: Participants were 5-to 7-year-old children with specific language problems (LANG group, N = 56) or who were typically developing (CONTR group, N = 60). Seventy-three children were Swedish-Finnish bilingual and 43 were Swedish-speaking monolingual. Assessments (in Swedish) included tests of expressive language, comprehension, repetition and verbal memory.Results: Per definition, the LANG group had lower scores than the CONTR group on all language tests. The bilingual group had lower scores than the monolingual group only on a test of body part naming. Importantly, the interaction of group (LANG or CONTR) and bilingualism was not significant on any of the language scores.

Is French immersion a special education loophole? … And does it intensify issues of accessibility and exclusion?

“…A variety of studies have discussed the misconception of language confusion over the past decade (Korkman et al 2012;Kohnert 2010;Paradis 2007). On the topic of processing, Kohnert (2010) pointed out that, 'bilingual children with PLI [primary language impairment] demonstrate the same cognitive processing weaknesses as their monolingual counterparts' (462).…”

Bilingual education for young children: review of the effects and consequences

“…With this caveat in mind, a few studies have examined the effect of SLI on language development for children who grow up bilingually. Korkman et al (2012) compared monolingual Swedish speakers and Swedish-Finnish bilingual children who were 5–7 years old on a range of language assessments in Swedish. About half of the children in each language group were typically developing and half had been diagnosed with SLI.…”

Do the early development of gestures and receptive and expressive language predict language skills at 5;0 in prematurely born very-low-birth-weight children?

“…At 5;0, children's language skills were evaluated using the Finnish standardisation edition of the Nepsy II test (Korkman, Kirk, & Kemp, 2007;Korkman, Kirk, & Kemp, 2008; see also Korkman et al, 2012) and the Boston Naming Test (BNT; Kaplan, Goodglass, & Weintraub, 1983;Laine et al, 1993). The Nepsy II is a neuropsychological test and it includes the following six domains: attention and executive functioning, language, memory and learning, social perception, sensorimotor and visuospatial processing.…”

“…Two verbal subtests from the memory and learning domain were used in the present study since memory skills are necessary for language processing (cf. Korkman et al, 2012;. The standard scores were used for the Nepsy II (range 1-19, mean 10, AE1 SD 3; !8 average performance, 6-7 slightly below average, 5 significantly below average).…”