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!-------------------------------------------------------------------EPISODE SPONSOR – MED TRAVELERSBecome a Travel SLP at: https://www.medtravelers.com/------------------------------------------------------------------- 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! ------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THE GUESTPaula 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.comhttps://online.mspaulaslp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/mspaulaslphttps://www.facebook.com/mspaulaslphttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaacuna ------------------------------------------------------------------- FIND US ONYouTube – 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/------------------------------------------------------------------- SHOW CREDITSHost – Jennifer MartinProducer – Jonathan CaryAssistant Producer – Katie SchraubenAssistant Producer – Sam MacKayMusic – Aidan Dykes