P0078 - Pediatrician and Parent Beliefs and Practices about Bilingual Language Development

Background: Although one fifth of US households speak a language other than English, erroneous information and myths about bilingualism abound. Parents often turn to their pediatricians with questions such as: Does learning two languages cause delays? Should I speak to my child in English? Nevertheless, pediatricians get little training on bilingualism and many don’t feel comfortable advising families on this topic. The purpose of this study was to assess (1) beliefs about bilingual language development among pediatricians and Latino parents in the same clinic and (2) relations between beliefs and practices.

Methods: This is an analysis of baseline data from a study of Leyendo Juntos, an adaptation of Reach Out and Read for Latino families. Pediatric residents and attendings (n=38) in one pediatric clinic completed an anonymous survey regarding their beliefs about bilingualism and early literacy promotion practices. Latino parents (n=106) were recruited in the waiting room and completed a survey/interview including questions about their bilingualism attitudes and book-sharing practices with their children (StimQ).

Results: Most providers reported positive attitudes towards bilingualism, yet some also endorsed misconceptions. For example, 26% of respondents believed that “Learning two languages can cause language/speech delays” and 48% would provide advice to parents that goes against expert recommendations. Providers’ beliefs about bilingualism were related to their self-reported practices. Providers who expressed more positive attitudes were more likely to counsel Latino parents about bilingual language development (r(33)=.42, p<.05) and to distribute Spanish language books to Spanish-speaking patients (r(33)=.49, p<.01).

Latino parents in the same clinic also reported positive attitudes towards bilingualism, expressing the importance of Spanish for maintaining family and cultural connections. However, some parents also expressed concerns, with 10% agreeing that “Learning two languages can cause language/speech delays.” Parents with more positive attitudes about bilingualism were more likely to report reading with their child in Spanish (r(99)=.28, p<.01).

Most parents (92%) recalled receiving an English children’s book from their pediatrician, but only 29% reported receiving a Spanish children’s book. Book language was not related to parents’ English or Spanish proficiency. Interestingly, parents who received Spanish language books from their pediatrician were more likely to use Spanish when sharing children’s books with their child.

Conclusions: This study examined beliefs and practices surrounding bilingualism among pediatricians and their patients. Parents and pediatricians had generally positive attitudes about bilingualism, yet negative misconceptions exist in both groups. Pediatricians’ attitudes about bilingualism were associated with frequency of counseling parents about bilingual development and provision of Spanish children’s books. These in turn were associated with parents’ use of Spanish when reading with their children. This suggests that pediatricians play a role in supporting parents raising bilingual children, and suggests the need for further pediatric training in issues related to bilingual development.