Bilingual children develop speech and language normally. Typically, learning two languages can take a longer time. However, bilingual children should still reach developmental milestones such as producing their first word at 12 months and using two-word phrases by two years of age. The majority of these children will go through a period where they combine words and grammar from both languages in the same sentence. Additionally, once the second language is introduced, children may go through a stage where they do not speak as much. As their language skills develop, children will begin to produce more speech and language.
Current research has noted that bilingual children are often better at multi-tasking, possibly more intelligent than mono-lingual peers, and have a lesser chance of contracting alzheimers disease as they age.
