10. Learning two languages at the same time (bilingualism) causes language delays in young children.
►False
Children learning two languages at the same time will go through the same developmental patterns in both of their languages and at roughly the same time as children learning one language[22]. While the vocabulary of each individual language might be smaller when counted separately, the total vocabulary of bilingual children is comparable to monolingual children when both languages are taken into account[23]. Sometimes young children learning two languages mix words or grammar from their two languages, known as “code mixing” or “code switching”. This is very normal and does not indicate that the child is having difficulty with language learning. There may actually be benefits from bilingual language learning, as children who are fluent in two languages have strengths in “metalinguistic skills” (the ability to think about language), as well as in cognitive skills, such as attention[24].