For a certain period of time, a bilingual or multilingual child's language skills might seem delayed when compared to a monolingual child of the same age. However, one needs to consider what he or she can do in all the languages he or she is learning. Language learning is happening in a slightly different way when there is more than one language in the child's environment. We must ensure that he or she has enough exposure to at least one of the languages. That said, bilingualism and multilingualism are desirable and do not cause language disorders. However, it is possible for a bilingual or multilingual child to have a language disorder, just as it is with any other child.
It still happens too often that a child who has language difficulties does not get the support he or she needs or gets it tardily because these difficulties are attributed to his or her bilingual or multilingual context.
If your child has difficulty understanding, speaking or producing speech sounds in his or her best language or if you have worries, consult now.