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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EPISODE SPONSOR – MED TRAVELERS
Become a Travel SLP at: https://www.medtravelers.com/
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TIMESTAMPS:
(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!
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ABOUT THE GUEST
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.
https://www.mspaulaslp.com
https://online.mspaulaslp.com
https://www.instagram.com/mspaulaslp
https://www.facebook.com/mspaulaslp
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaacuna
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FIND US ON
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/slpfulldisclosure/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/slpfulldisclosure/
Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slp-full-disclosure/id1469238409/
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5aox6rAXyJkSEwrbgFuTEX/
Website – https://www.medtravelers.com/podcast/slp-full-disclosure/
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SHOW CREDITS
Host – Jennifer Martin
Producer – Jonathan Cary
Assistant Producer – Katie Schrauben
Assistant Producer – Sam MacKay
Music – Aidan Dykes