Bilingual Educational Specialists
Great question! Chances are, if you are wondering if a student needs a bilingual evaluation, then they do. Bilingualism exists on a spectrum, and no two students are the same. If a child is exposed to more than one language in any way (home, daycare, grandparents, caretakers, community, etc.), then both languages contribute to their development. Yes, they need a bilingual evaluation!
Our evaluators have worked in Chicagoland for over a decade. We work with districts in all suburbs as well as other Illinois cities. We can conduct evaluations anywhere in the state of Illinois.
Head to our home page to read about the process of a bilingual evaluation. Don't worry, we take care of everything.
Our team of evaluators at Bilingual Educational Specialists has almost 20 years of experience working with children and youth of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. All of our evaluators hold advanced degrees and are fully licensed by ISBE.
If you have an urgent question, fill out our contact form or email an evaluator directly (go to "Services"). We prefer advanced notice for scheduling purposes, but we will work with you on emergency cases as well.
Nope! Almost half of the world is bilingual and there are many cognitive benefits. Research shows that children with disabilities can learn more than one language successfully. Eliminating a child's home language can lead to language loss and loss of family/community connection. Research tells us that if children disengage from home language, the process of language loss is accelerated (Olsen et al., 2001). Families should speak the language or languages they are most comfortable using because that will provide the richest language environment for children.
No, this is another myth. Milestones of pre-language development are the same in all languages. Multilingual children develop language skills just as other children do. If you're worried about milestones, reach out to a speech-language pathologist who understands bilingualism.
Remember - mixing English and other languages is part of normal bilingual speaking. This is called code-switching, and it is not a disorder.
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