The Benefits of Bilingualism

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: "Most children have the capacity and facility to learn more than one language."

Bilinguals have demonstrated cognitive, neural and linguistic differences when compared to their monolingual peers. 

• Improved cognitive skills 
• Increased critical thinking skills 
• Increased executive function and  improved decision making skills
• Improved memory
• Bilingualism Delays the onset of Dementia, Alzheimer's and other neurological conditions
• Bilingual children are able to process language (and other nonverbal tasks) bilaterally 
• Denser gray matter than monolinguals 
• Better performance in standardized tests than monolinguals
• Bilingual children externalize aggression less frequently than monolinguals 
• Future languages are easier to learn and native language is enhanced

• Preparedness and opportunities for the global market 
• If you are bilingual, you will be more marketable and have more career choices than your monolingual counterpart.

Resources: Consequences for Language, Cognition, Development, and the Brain by Viorica Marian, Yasmeen Faroqi-Shah, Margarita Kaushanskaya, Henrike K. Blumenfeld & Li Sheng

Check out these other articles on the benefits of bilingualism! 
Why Bilinguals Are Smarter
Hearing Bilingual: How Babies Sort Out Language
Bilingualism may protect against cognitive decline from Alzheimer's disease.


*If a child has a speech or language problem, it will show up in both languages. Problems are not caused by learning two languages.