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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Do Children Mispronounce If They Are Bilingual?

My near 5 year old bilingual daughter mispronounces lots of words and is difficult to understand. For eg. she keeps her tongue place behing her lower teeth for the majority of her speech, she also cannot pronounce the letter R. Does she need a speech therapist?
Tue, 22 Jul 2014
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Pediatrician,  's  Response
Hi, thanks for asking.
I can understand your concerns.
By five years 90% of the speech should be understood by a stranger. If this is not the case speech therapy for misarticulation may be beneficial for the child.
Bilingual children may have slight speech delay but not misarticulation problem.
I would suggest you model correct and clear speech at home and allow her to look at your mouth while you speak.
I hope I have helped you.
Thank you.
Dr. Meera Kotecha
Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrician
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Do Children Mispronounce If They Are Bilingual?

Hi, thanks for asking. I can understand your concerns. By five years 90% of the speech should be understood by a stranger. If this is not the case speech therapy for misarticulation may be beneficial for the child. Bilingual children may have slight speech delay but not misarticulation problem. I would suggest you model correct and clear speech at home and allow her to look at your mouth while you speak. I hope I have helped you. Thank you. Dr. Meera Kotecha Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrician