Being bilingual does not cause speech or language delay. Decades of research agree: children exposed to two or more languages reach the same milestones at the same ages as children learning one, when you count words across all their languages. In Dubai, where most children hear English plus Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog, Russian, Malayalam or French every day, a late-talking child is far too often told to “wait, it’s the languages”. That advice delays help. If your bilingual child is behind in every language, it is a delay, and it needs the same early support as any other child. Starwalkers Clinic in Dubai Healthcare City assesses bilingual children for AED 160–199 per session, or AED 1,999 for a 10-session package.

What normal bilingual development looks like

• Total vocabulary is what counts. A 2-year-old with 30 English words and 30 Hindi words has 60 words. That is on track. Counting one language alone makes bilingual children look delayed when they are not.
• Mixing languages in one sentence is normal and skilful. “I want paani” is not confusion; it is a child using every word they have. Adults who are fluent in two languages do it too.
• One language may be stronger, usually the one the child hears most. That can shift when school starts. It is not a problem.
• A quiet period of a few months is common when a child first enters a nursery in a new language. They are listening and absorbing, and they still talk at home.
• Milestones are the same: first words around 12 months, two-word combinations around 24 months, short sentences by 3, understandable to strangers by 4, across the languages combined.

Signs it is a real delay, not bilingualism

Language learning difficulties show up in all of a child’s languages, because they come from the child, not from the language. Book an assessment if your child:

• Has fewer than 50 words in total across all languages at 2, or no two-word combinations
• Is behind in the home language too, not only in English
• Understands little in any language, or does not follow simple instructions at home
• Rarely points, shows you things, or uses gestures to communicate
• Has unclear speech in both languages well past age 3 (see our guide on unclear speech)
• Has lost words in any language (see lost words and regression)
• Is not talking at 2, 3 or 4 in any language

The rule is simple: if the home language is fine and English is lagging, it is exposure and time. If both are behind, it is a delay.

Which language should we speak at home?

The one you speak best and most naturally. Parents are sometimes advised to switch to English so the child is not “confused”. This is the single most damaging piece of advice bilingual families in Dubai receive. Children learn language from rich, warm, fluent input. A parent speaking simplified, effortful English gives the child less language than the same parent speaking fluent Malayalam, Arabic or Urdu. The home language also carries family, grandparents and identity, and children who keep it do better, not worse, in English later.

Practical patterns that work: one parent, one language; home language at home and English at nursery; or by activity (bedtime stories in one language). Consistency helps, but perfection is not required. What matters is lots of talk, in whichever languages you are fluent.

How we assess a bilingual child

A fair assessment of a bilingual child has to look at all their languages together. At Starwalkers we take a detailed history of which languages your child hears, from whom, and how much; we assess in English and, through you, in the home language, asking you to tell us the words and phrases your child uses at home; we count total vocabulary, not English alone; and we look at the things that do not depend on language at all: play, gestures, attention, how your child connects and communicates. We will tell you plainly whether we see a delay or a bilingual child who is developing normally in two languages. Many families leave reassured; the ones who need support start it without losing another year.

If it is a delay, therapy works in both languages

Speech and language therapy for a bilingual child does not mean dropping a language. We work on the underlying skills (understanding, words, combining words, speech sounds), coach you to use the strategies in your home language, and liaise with nursery about English. We work in English and, through you, in your home language; ask us which other languages our current therapists speak. Sessions are child-led and play-based, with a parent in the room, at AED 160–199 per session, or AED 1,999 for a 10-session package. Read more about speech delay therapy in Dubai.

Who assesses bilingual children at Starwalkers

Frequently Asked Questions

Parent guides

Straight answers to the questions parents in Dubai ask us most.

• My 2-year-old isn’t talking yet. Should I worry?
• My 3-year-old isn’t talking. Should I be worried now?
• My 4-year-old isn’t talking. What are our options?
• Speech delay therapy in Dubai: how it works and what it costs
• My child understands everything but doesn’t talk
• My child talks but nobody understands him
• My child lost words they used to say
• Speech therapy for children with Down syndrome in Dubai
• My child is nonverbal. What are our options?
• Speech delay or autism? How to tell the difference
• My child repeats TV lines and everything I say
• Gestalt language processing (GLP) therapy
• AAC therapy in Dubai
• How much does speech therapy cost in Dubai?
• Affordable speech therapy in Dubai (AED 160–199 a session)
• Speech therapy in Dubai: 15 clinics compared