What is "normal" in bilingual children?

[Marita Boehning]

Dear members,
   I was recently asked for advice by a mother of a 3;5 year-old son who
learns 3 languages as his mother tongue.  Turkish is the language coming
from the father, English from the mother and German from everywhere else
(as they live in Germany) and sometimes from the parents, too.
As I haven't dealt with much research on bilingualism, I have hardly any
idea, what is normal for a child who has to acquire 3 languages
simultaneously. I looked at the German equivalent of the CDI (ELFRA-2),
and it turns out his results equal a 2;5 year-old.
Would a year delay be "normal" for such a child or is intervention
indicated? And if intervention, then are there special approaches for
those children?

Thanks for any help!

Marita Boehning



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Marita Boehning
Department of Linguistics
University of Potsdam
P.O. Box 60 15 53
D - 14415 Potsdam
Germany

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