Presenter: Sheila Jacobs, MFT

Workshop #2:

An In Depth Exploration and Discussion regarding the Predictable Stages in Bilingual Family Development

There are stages of child development, language development, and family development which interact in the predictable developmental stages of a bilingual family. We will apply these principles in order to better identify the various stages of bilingual family development from 0 (no bilingualism) to 10 (very successful bilingual family). Once professionals can agree on these stages of bilingual family development, then this scale could be used in the assessment of where each family is on the path to bilingualism. What does half way #5 on the scale look like for a bilingual family who is half way there?  What do the 25% or 75 % (#3 and #7) benchmarks on the path to bilingualism look like?

There are many factors that impact family communication and not all families can reach the “ideal” level of bilingualism. However professionals working with the family can be compassionate and work with the family’s strengths in order to coach them toward the next appropriate stage of bilingualism for each family member as well as for the family as a whole. Observing our own “stages of bilingualism” will be instructive about our own attitudes and approaches to working with deaf and hard of hearing children and their families.

Learners Objectives

Participants will:

1. Learn about stages of child development, language development, and family development that interact in the daily lives of a bilingual family on the path of bilingualism
2. Discuss the stages of family bilingualism from 0 to 25% to 50% to 75% to 100% as a way for the professionals to develop some agreements about possible ways to assess where each family is on this path to bilingualism.
3. Once there is some agreement on this “Scale of Family Bilingualism” and possible ways to assess the family’s strengths as a bilingual family, then we may be better equipped as professionals to help establish workable short term goals for the family to increase their bilingualism in stages, one step at a time.
4. Clarify the difference of the individual hearing family member’s ability to be bilingual vs how the family works as a team on being more bilingual. What are the various steps that a family may utilize on the path to bilingualism that are common strategies that families use to pool/share their resources?
5. Clarify from our own personal and professional experiences of our own individual and family bilingual development ways we can pool our “collective wisdom” about the possible many paths of bilingualism in the Deaf Community. Families start at different places and what are various ways we can support them in becoming more and more bilingual step by step without stressing the family out. (Example: family members could become too overwhelmed and feel incompetent, then give up.)
6. What are ways that the fields of early childhood education and mental health could collaborate and find effective interdisciplinary approaches to help the whole family become invested in becoming a bilingual family and highly motivated to stay on the path of bilingualism over the long term?