In my practice as Language Consultant I sometimes work as mediator between parents and schools when there are some misunderstandings concerning the speech and language development of the child. Speech therapists usually help the child either during school hours or after school with the school language. They usually work closely with the teachers in order […]
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What is speech? What is language?
When I explain to people what I do, that I focus on language and communication but that I also can help with the speech, as I have studied and taught phonology, I often need to explain the difference between speech and language. What is Speech? With speech we refer to the articulation of the sounds, the phonological skills, […]
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The advantage of being bilingual for children with ASD
I have followed the debate concerning the “bilingual advantage” concerning executive functions and hoped that this would also be tested for children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders). Prof. Aparna Nadig from the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at McGill University recently published a paper in Child Development, on her findings demonstrating that the “bilingual […]
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Myths about Bilingualism/Multilingualism
This is a short (!) overview of some common myths about bilingualism/multilingualism – I will be updating this list in May/June 2024, so, if you came across any myths you want me to include, please let me know in the comments. They are all assumptions based on old theories about bilingualism and bilinguals (and multilingualism), […]
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Alcohol and Drug policies for minors in the Netherlands
I have always been very sensible when it comes to this topic. Not only because I lost a friend in a car accident because his reaction was slowed down by too many glasses of all sorts of alcohol, but also because I grew up between two cultures. One where people would only drink a few glasses […]
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