Ep. 74 - Bilingualism Myths You Need to Know - Paula Acuña MA, CCC-SLP

January 31, 2023

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!

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We Discuss

  • (0:00) Introduction

    (3:01) Paula’s Background

    (10:22) If a student has any learning challenges or is exceptional, they cannot learn more than 1 language

    (15:44)  If a child has a language difficulty, then the family should only speak to them in English at home

    (16:47) What is Contrastive Analysis

    (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

    (25:20) The older someone is, the harder it is to acquire a second language

    (31:14) Once students can speak English, they are ready to learn and succeed in a mainstream classroom.

    (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.

    (41:21) Bilingual children will perfectly use and have equal knowledge of both languages.

    (43:33) Who Paula works with

    (53:50) What if a listener is interested in learning more about this

    (57:00) Lightning Question Round!

About Paula Acuña MA, CCC-SLP

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 supplemented by live video consultations. Paula earned her Masters from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is an Early Intervention provider. She also serves as a clinical supervisor and is an ASHA S.T.E.P. mentor.

Find Paula Online:

About the Show

Producer - Jonathan Cary
Assistant Producers – Katie Schrauben & Sam MacKay 
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