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Dual Language Learners with Disabilities or Suspected Delays

A teacher showing a young boy a photo of him with his mother.This brief focuses on the importance of dual language learning for children with disabilities or suspected delays. It also covers practices that support their learning and inclusion in learning experiences. Find the most up-to-date information to answer these prompts:

  • What does research say?
  • What does it look like?
  • Try this!

Also check out the companion Connecting at Home section for simple tips families can use to support their children's engagement and learning.

Research Notes

Learning multiple languages involves not only learning words to communicate. It also supports learning and development across skills such as:

  • Cognition
  • Social and emotional development
  • Approaches to learning

Providing quality language experiences for children with disabilities and suspected delays gives them rich opportunities to participate in meaningful ways. It also helps them develop skills across developmental domains.

The Take Home

  • The home language is the foundation for all language learning for children with disabilities who are dual language learners (DLLs).
  • Children with disabilities experience cognitive and social benefits from being DLLs.
  • Children with disabilities who are also DLLs benefit from intentional adult guidance and structure in play and learning.

What does research say?

Home language development is key.

Building a strong foundation in children’s home language facilitates learning English and other languages. Learning multiple languages will not confuse the child or lead to further delays. In fact, a child’s home language acts as a linguistic resource and bridge to learning another language for children with and without disabilities and those with suspected delays. Providing families with accurate information about the benefits of learning multiple languages encourages them to use their home language with their child.

Multilingualism provides cognitive and social benefits.

Speaking more than one language boosts executive functioning skills, like paying attention, problem-solving, and switching between tasks. Children with disabilities who are multilingual also experience these same benefits. Being multilingual also enables children’s participation in their family and community culture, which is important for belonging, identity development, and building strong social bonds.

Intentional supports create opportunities for learning and inclusion.

Actively creating intentional learning supports is critical for children with disabilities who are also DLLs. That’s because they are less likely to have access to high-quality early childhood education. They need individualized supports for both language and developmental needs to access opportunities that support their learning. The key is to create inclusive environments through a collaborative approach with families, therapists, specialists, and Head Start providers.

What does it look like?

Help parents and families look for these opportunities to support their children:

  • Children with a disability who are multilingual may use a variety of ways to communicate beyond spoken words.
    • Pay close attention to their eye gaze, body movements, and vocalizations. These signals in addition to speech or other communication systems will help you understand how they communicate.
    • All attempts at verbal and nonverbal communication are valid.
  • Some children with disabilities who are also DLLs may have difficulty knowing how to join their peers or siblings in play.
    • Provide them with small group activities. Support their interactions with peers or siblings by asking questions or providing prompts.
    • This can help sustain their interest and engagement while teaching them the social skills needed to connect with others.
  • Children thrive when they know what to expect of their day.
    • Providing visual schedules of daily activities with pictures and printed words in the languages they use helps them feel safe.
    • For group socializations, you can make a large visual schedule for families and children to follow along.
    • You can help families make their own schedule at home to support their child.

Try this!

The parent is the child's most important teacher, and you are their "guide on the side." Use these tips with families to help them support how their child learns:

  • Encourage families to sing songs and tell stories in the language(s) they use at home. You can help them incorporate hand motions like clapping or body movements with their songs to support their child’s engagement.
  • Create a shared music playlist with families to play during group socializations.
    • This can be a fun way to share each family’s culture and interests with the group and foster community building.
    • Use hand motions or body movements with the music to encourage multisensory participation.
  • Encourage families to use their home language during everyday routines.
    • Bath time is great for sharing water experiments together.
    • Parents can notice and repeat their child’s actions, model new skills, and bond through shared experience.
  • Assure families that mixing two or more languages together when communicating is a strength.
    • As children learn their languages, they will often use a mix of the languages they know to respond to their environment. Perhaps a child with a disability who knows some English and Spanish says, “Quiero more” when eating. This is a great opportunity to respond to their request for more, giving them more food and saying, “Yes, I hear you want more snack. ‘Quiero more,’ here is more snack for you!”
    • Encourage families to respond in supportive ways to their child’s language attempts.
  • If the child uses an augmented and alternative communication device or a picture exchange communication system (using pictures and pointing to communicate needs), work with the family to ensure that common words in all the languages they use are included in their communication system.
  • Adapt materials to suit the child’s needs and interests in accessing materials independently.
    • If the child has books they love but can’t turn the pages themselves, consider creating page extensions with popsicle sticks to encourage choice and independence.
    • Think with the family to create novel solutions for their child to access items of interest.
  • Build a strong relationship between you and the families you serve by being open-minded and curious about their culture, language, and their values around their child. Communicate with the family using aids such as visuals, translation help, Ready DLL mobile app, or Google Translate. Learn key words.

Learn More

Connecting at Home

Chances are you are already doing a wonderful job of supporting your child’s learning. Explore these simple ways your interactions can make a big difference in their language and learning development.

Singing and Moving

Does your child enjoy listening or dancing to music? Add different movements, facial expressions, and/or props to the lyrics. Try singing and moving together. When singing without music, pause during the song and allow them time to respond with the motions or words. Involve siblings or cousins too for a fun group music activity.

Follow Their Interests

What toys or activities does your child enjoy? Follow their lead when they want to play. Do they love banging a cup on the table? Give them a variety of safe objects to bang and talk about the differences in sound. Take turns with them and use your home language as you talk with them.

Can I reach?

Make sure your child has access to toys and activities they like or access to make a choice in toy selection. If mobility is a challenge, set down or hold up two choices for them to see. What item do they look at longer? Do they show excitement for one object more than the other? There are many ways they can make a choice without having to reach them. Making their own decisions about play boosts their independence and sense of self.

Bath Time Fun

Making everyday routines fun and engaging is a great way to practice using language to build close relationships. Use your home language during bath time: Talk about the bath toys in a fun, sing-song voice or narrate what they’re doing: “Scoop, scoop, scoop up water! Pour it out!”

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