A few days ago we told you that, among the different proposals that the Spanish Minister of Education was going to carry out in education, an important program was being carried out to promote bilingualism from early childhood education.
However, we must not forget that in schools there are also children with language problems and that they will have to experience these bilingual situations. The question is: Can children with special needs be bilingual?.
We must remember that bilingualism is the habitual use of two languages in the same region or by the same person, characterized by the alternation of these two languages. This will allow a bilingual child to organize themselves in daily life, follow the class, do their homework and communicate verbally with their parents.
The fact that a child is of special educational needs means that he or she has greater difficulties than the rest of their classmates to achieve the objectives set and that it corresponds to their age; Therefore, it needs a series of adaptations that compensate for these difficulties.
With regard to bilingual education, it is clear that there is still much to develop and improve; in the same way, Teaching a second language in children with special educational needs is a subject that also has much to move forward. In addition, when talking about acquiring a second language in these children, we must take into account the type of disability that each child presents.
Family bilingualism
It is proven that any child who grows up in a family where two languages are spoken (family bilingualism), becomes bilingual before the age of four, being able to keep the two languages apart perfectly.
In the case of children with special educational needs (as well as children without them), they generally do not live in bilingual families as a whole. Instead, they acquire their mother tongue and then have more or less frequent contacts with a second language.
For those cases in which one does live within a bilingual family, the fact that these children are bilingual acquires great importance, since they must have the possibility of communicating with all the members of their family, in addition to the fact that for parents it is more Easy to communicate with your child in their mother tongue.
The important thing in these cases would be keep up with the child with special educational needs; We must check how it adapts to that situation. Although it is true that children generally adapt to the familiar bilingual situation quite well.
It is usually recommended that the introduction to the second language be done gradually. Thus, the child with special educational needs will be able to use two languages perfectly. That is why proper education in this area is very important, not forgetting that the level that can be reached in each of the two languages is the one that corresponds to their level of development.
Conclusion
Nobody doubts that the knowledge of a second language opens a multitude of doors to our children for the future, either at work level (opting for a greater number of possibilities) or social (knowing different lifestyles) In the case of those with needs special educational, we must take into account that they need special attention in certain educational aspects. This is important, since we must adapt the learning of a language to its needs and not deny it.
So, before the question of yes Can children with special needs be bilingual?, I am of the opinion that, although it may become more or less hard or durable, it is not something unattainable, since these children could achieve it, always taking into account their possibilities.
