Just to clarify a little from yesterday’s post. It may sound crazy hard that Vince is learning 3 languages, but in our little family, and to him it is what always was. From the moment he could first here our voices, he has heard 3 languages. We were always sure that we would treat Vince the same way as we would had he been born without his bonus chromosome, and the same way as we will treat any brothers or sisters he might have. I speak Swedish with Vince all the time, Bookie and the people here speak German all the time, when Bookie and I are together we always speak English to each other. So, dropping one language (I would be rich if I got a dollar every time I was told too), will simply not work. How could I not speak my own native tongue with him? How could his dad not and that is the language he will hear around him as long as we stay in Austria? How could we not teach him English when that is the language we – his parents talk? If we are in the car, at the table, just hanging around, we speak English, should we make Vince deprived of that situation? Nope, we won’t! At least not for now, if it turns out later that it just does not work, than so be it, THEN we will drop a language.
I am also a member of a yahoo mail group for parents of bilingual children with DS. Many of them speak, read and write in at least two languages, many in three and some in four different languages (signing not included). This little girl from Finland who is on there is four years old and reads and speaks Finnish, English and some Tamil! Cool, and very inspirational!
Thanks SO much for the encouraging articles left in the comments yesterday. Clik here to read this one and here to see some interesting research from Sue Buckley.
Picture of the day: Working in the store. Bookie said that a pink tool belt was not in the budget (good point – especially since I made the budget) otherwise I would have had a matching one:-)
Filed under: bilingual Down Syndrome |
Prince Vince Meets the World 
Too bad the pink tool belt was not in the budget… But I guess it turned out gr8 anyway!
Kicki, när jag föddes sa folk till mina föräldrar att pappa inte skulle prata serbokroatiska med mig och bröderna eftersom vi inte skulle lära oss något språk ordentligt. De lyssnade och vi gick miste om ett gratis språk. Folk tror de vet så mycket. Ingen vet vad Vince kan, men man måste ju för f-n ge honom chansen att få visa hur mycket han klarar! Annars blir det ju som att hugga av benen på honom innan han haft en chans att lära sig gå. Dumt tycker jag. Och jag brukar ju ha rätt. =)
I think you should still get the pink tool belt!
That Dr. did sound like a jerk – I think Vince will be just fine and how fun to be surrounded by so many different sounds.
Delphine hears both French and English – my mother in law usually speaks only French to her. There should be no reason why kids with DS shouldn’t have that opportunity as well.
In our house we speak Spanish and we live in the US, so he is surrounded by two languages, so he will be a bilingual baby and I see nothing wrong with it. Some people have told us to drop a language but why would we treat Joaquin any different. Your son will learn the three languages and Joaquin will learn two, if you can pass me the info about the bilingual group I will appreciate it. Thanks!
Oh, absolutely don’t worry about the three languages. Kids pick up and learn so quickly, it’s amazing. He might even pick up a fourth language – his own one. At age 2/3, Juliana made up her own words. Too bad, I didn’t write them down. She wouldn’t say “telephone” but “boulais” (sounds French, hehe) and so on. First I was kinda scared, then we saw it from the funny side ….
Was so good talking to you yesterday!
He WILL pick it up. Kids are like sponges…that’s why it’s so much easier for them to learn more than 1 language. You could throw in a 4th one, and he WOULD get it. That doctor is putting limits on him…when he should know better. He does sound like a jerk.
And I think the pink toolbelt would have been stunning. 🙂
I agree with Leslieann -kids are like sponges! You’re doing fine w/talking to him in each of those languages and it’ll be beneficial to him in the future!
My uncle married a Danish woman (they are divorced now though) and they live(d) in Denmark. Their kids grew up learning Danish and English -then they moved to Italy for a brief time and they learned Italian. I think one of my cousins took French in school and another German…I was always amazed (and jealous!) at all the languages they could speak!
I think it’s absolutely superb that he’s growing up trilingual. One of my biggest regrets is that I never learned another language. I would love my kids to speak more than one, but both my wife and I are limited to English. If we were in your situation, we wouldn’t hesitate to do as you do
I think sign language counts too…so Vince has 4 languages!
I think it’s terrific. No one can tell you what Vince can do but Vince! Go Vince!
Hi, I think the doc must have been a bit uneducated in bi/tri lingual matters, ive learned that my kid, she is 6 could be able to keep up to 5-6 languages fluent.. so i would not worry at all about Vince Prince’s growing up as trilingual!! his Translocation 21;21 might even make him more perceptive to languages than other. Iv’e also been told that kids who grow up in multilingual homes can be a bit of a slow starter in speaking/starting to talk.. but when it loosens up it loosens up sorta 🙂 “hope i made any sense” / vikki in hallein
I am impressed (and slightly jealous) and think the Prince will be better for it! more power to you!