Bilingual Children and Speech: Does Learning Two Languages Cause Delays?

✓ Reviewed against ASHA consumer guidance, ASHA Practice Portal, McLeod & Crowe (2018)Evidence level ALast reviewed October 14, 2026Published October 14, 2026

Learning two or more languages does not cause speech or language delays. ASHA is explicit: using multiple languages does not confuse children, and mixing languages is an expected part of learning them. A true speech sound disorder shows up in all of a child’s languages — that is how SLPs tell it apart.

The myth: two languages cause delays

Many families are told to drop a home language so a child can “catch up” in English. ASHA’s guidance is the opposite. Many children around the world grow up with more than one language, and using multiple languages does not confuse children or cause speech or language delays. Having a strong foundation in one language supports learning additional languages.¹

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Keep your home language

ASHA recommends talking to your child in the language or languages you are most comfortable using. Rich, comfortable conversation in any language helps your child produce sounds, learn words, and tell stories.

ASHA adds that the more children hear and practice — in any language — the better their language skills will be.¹

Mixing languages is normal

Children learning two languages sometimes blend words or grammar from both in one sentence. ASHA tells parents not to worry about it: mixing is an expected part of learning and using more than one language at a time.¹

How speech sounds develop across languages

Sound development follows a similar overall timetable across languages. A review of children’s consonant acquisition in 27 languages found that, across languages, children had acquired most consonants by about age 5 — though the specific sounds, and when each arrives, differ by language.⁵

ASHA’s guidance on phonological patterns notes that multilingual children could show the same developmental patterns if those patterns occur in their languages, and that a dialect that does not produce certain sounds is not showing an error pattern. Its consumer page adds that children learning more than one language may develop some sounds earlier or later.^2,6

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Accent is not a disorder

A child who speaks English with features of their first language is showing an accent. ASHA is clear that accents — regional, foreign, or nonnative — are not a communication disorder.

That position is stated on ASHA’s Practice Portal page on accent modification.⁷

Difference or disorder?

Signs that point to a difference vs. a possible disorder.
More likely a language difference	Worth an evaluation
Errors match how the home language or dialect sounds	Errors appear in every language the child speaks
Child is clear in the stronger language	Child is hard to understand in all languages
Mixing words or grammar between languages	Different errors each time the same word is said
Sounds missing that the home language does not have	Sounds missing that all the child’s languages have

Signs that point to a difference vs. a possible disorder.

This is how SLPs approach it too. ASHA says assessment should consider the sound variations of the languages and dialects in the child’s community and patterns of transfer between languages, and that standard scores cannot be reported for tests not normed on a group representative of the child. For childhood apraxia of speech, ASHA notes that signs show up in all of a child’s languages.^3,4

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Where SpeechStep fits

SpeechStep’s practice is in English. It listens with one of four English profiles — American, British, Indian, or Australian — suggested from where you are and changeable on the practice screen, so accent differences the profile accounts for are not marked as errors. It does not assess other languages, so if your child is unclear in their home language too, start with a speech-language pathologist, ideally one familiar with your languages. ASHA ProFind lists certified SLPs.⁸

Frequently asked questions

Does being bilingual cause speech delay?＋

No. ASHA states that using multiple languages does not confuse children or cause speech or language delays, and that a strong foundation in one language supports learning another.

Is it bad if my child mixes languages?＋

No. ASHA advises parents not to worry about mixing: children sometimes blend words or grammar rules from different languages, and it is an expected part of learning and using more than one language.

Which language should I speak at home?＋

The one you are most comfortable in. ASHA recommends talking to your child in the language or languages you are most comfortable using; the more children hear and practice — in any language — the better their skills.

How can you tell a bilingual difference from a speech disorder?＋

By looking across languages. ASHA notes that multilingual children may show common developmental patterns if those patterns occur in their languages, that dialect features are not errors, and — for apraxia — that real signs show up in all the child’s languages. An SLP considers each language’s sound system rather than judging against English alone.