Code-Switching and Language Proficiency in Bilingual Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Code-switching is common in bilingual children.
• Understanding code-switching patterns in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) is crucial.
• Previous research has not definitively linked code-switching frequency to DLD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the frequency of code-switching in Spanish-English speaking children.
• To examine the influence of language proficiency and diagnosis (DLD vs. typical language development [TLD]) on code-switching.
• To determine if code-switching patterns can serve as an indicator for DLD.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed language samples from 62 Spanish-English speaking children (ages 5-7).
• Assessed language proficiency on a continuum for both Spanish and English.
• Used correlational analyses and regression models to evaluate code-switching frequency in relation to proficiency and diagnosis.

Main Results:

• Lower Spanish proficiency correlated with increased English code-switching in children with DLD.
• Children with typical language development code-switched irrespective of their proficiency levels.
• No significant differences in code-switching frequency were found between children with DLD and TLD.

Conclusions:

• Code-switching patterns are similar in children with DLD and TLD.
• The frequency and type of code-switching should not be used as a diagnostic indicator for DLD.
• Language proficiency is a key factor influencing code-switching in bilingual children.