Benefits of Multilingualism

Multilingual parents have a very special gift they can pass on to their children — another language, along with a myriad of benefits inherent to being multilingual.

To name just a few, being multilingual, comes with the following advantages:

– IMPROVED child-parent connection

      – parents who speak a language other than the “majority” language may feel more comfortable speaking to their children in their first (non-majority) language, consequently increasing the parent-child engagement and connection

– ENHANCED COGNITIVE ABILITIES, including:

     – stronger executive functioning

     – stronger problem-solving skills

     – stronger memory and learning abilities

–

 PROTECTIVE MECHANISM:

      – potentially delayed onset of cognitive decline (the latter is particularly important if the individual is at higher risk for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease)

– WIDER WORLD VIEW and cultural awareness/sensitivity

– CAREER opportunities and potential for higher earning

This recent article from University of Miami speaks to the benefits of facilitating and encouraging multilingualism in children, especially children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

As a clinician, I often find myself telling multilingual the children I work with —  wow — you know more than one language — that is a SUPER POWER!