ABSTRACT
The chapter explores the challenges and other areas which concern appreciating the size of the bilingual population and the potential caseload, the assessment, intervention and support of bilingual children with speech and language difficulties, and the professional issues involved in meeting the needs of the client group. Being bilingual is a complex achievement at both societal and individual levels. Linguistically, developing the mother tongue builds on the child's communication strengths, which can help the child develop additional languages. There are linguistic skills involved, which include both spoken and written forms, cognitive skills, where language is used for learning, and there are issues of culture and identity, which are mediated by language and the language community. One of the issues raised at the beginning of the chapter concerned the importance of differentiating between second language difficulties and more profound language delay because of the implications for supporting the child's language needs.
