Free Webinar: Growing Up Multilingual: Myths, Truths, and Everyday Strategies
Does Learning Two Languages Delay Speech?
In the UAE, many children hear Arabic, English and often a third family language before they start school. For families, this is a gift. It can also raise questions: Should we speak only one language at home? Is my child confused when they mix words? Will a home language hold them back in an English-speaking classroom?
These worries are common, and parents often receive conflicting advice from relatives, friends and online sources. This webinar gives families clear, evidence-informed answers in plain language.
Mayssoun will explain how multilingual children typically develop communication skills, why mixing languages is a normal part of that journey, and how keeping a home language strong can support learning at school. She will also help parents recognise the difference between typical multilingual development and signs that a child may benefit from a speech and language assessment.
Most importantly, families will leave with practical routines they can start the same day, at home, in the car, at mealtimes and alongside their child’s school.
Objectives:
By the end of the session, parents and educators will be able to:
Myth vs. fact: Understand how multilingual children reach communication milestones, and why comparing them to single-language peers can be misleading.
Code-switching: Discover why mixing languages in one sentence is a normal, skilled part of multilingual communication, not a sign of confusion.
Everyday strategies: Learn practical routines that support dual-language learning at home and in school, without turning family time into lessons.
Stronger foundations: See how preserving a child’s home language builds the vocabulary, thinking and identity that support classroom success.
The session will close with a live Q&A, so families can ask about their own child’s situation.
About the speaker
Mayssoun Jaber is Head of Speech and Language Therapy Services at TDCC Abu Dhabi, with more than 25 years of experience across healthcare and education. She holds a BSc in Speech and Language Therapy from the Lebanese University, is an ASHA International Affiliate Member (SIG 14, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity), and is Co-Founder of the Emirates Speech Language Pathology Society.
Her work spans early intervention, school-based therapy and clinical leadership. Fluent in Arabic, English and French, she brings a multilingual perspective to supporting children and families, with advanced training in approaches including Hanen, ADOS-2, DIR Floortime and Makaton. Her contributions have been recognised with the Al Nukhba Award from the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau and the Passion Award for clinical dedication.
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