ADHD and bilingualism in young adults: Comparing executive functioning and bilingual vocabulary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between bilingualism and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on measures of receptive vocabulary size and executive control

The ADHD vocabulary size advantage: Monolingual and bilingual young adults with ADHD have larger vocabularies than controls

Individuals with ADHD and bilinguals have each been considered vulnerable to vocabulary deficits compared to their peers. However, the interaction of ADHD and bilingualism in affecting vocabulary in both languages has yet to be studied. We tested whether a 'double disadvantage' exists for bilinguals with ADHD by measuring the vocabularies of 391 young adults who spoke English and/or French. In Study 1, we categorized them into one of four groups: monolinguals and bilinguals with and without ADHD. Individuals with ADHD had larger vocabularies than those without ADHD, in monolinguals and bilinguals alike, and in both their languages. In Study 2, bilingualism and ADHD status were assessed continuously. Bilingualism and ADHD interacted in both languages such that those with greater ADHD symptomatology had larger vocabularies, particularly for monolinguals and less balanced bilinguals. These findings refute the notion of a 'double disadvantage' and instead point to an overall ADHD vocabulary advantage

Recruiting hard-to-find participants using Facebook sponsored posts

Our lab, the Concordia Infant Research Lab (infantresearch.ca) has been using Facebook to recruit hard-to-find infants participants. Using sponsored posts, we typically get a minimum of 50 participant sign-ups and reach 7000 individuals using a $100 CAD budget per sponsored post. Here, we provide step-by-step instructions on how to set up Facebook sponsored posts and discuss strategies we have found to increase their effectiveness

Reading to bilingual preschoolers: An experimental study of two book formats

Reading stories to children provides opportunities for word learning. Bilingual children encounter new words in each of their languages during shared storybook reading, but the way in which they encounter them can vary. We compared learning from two types of bilingual book materials: typical single-language books (i.e., two copies of the same book, each in a different language), and bilingual books (i.e., one copy of the book, with text in both languages on each page). Five-year-old French-English bilinguals (n = 67) who were either proficient or second-language learners were randomly assigned to hear an original story from a balanced bilingual experimenter in one of the two book formats. Children’s learning of French and English labels for five novel objects embedded in the story was assessed via a pointing task. Children were successful at learning words in both languages, and performance was not affected by either book format nor by children's language proficiency. Children neither favoured nor avoided learning translation equivalents (i.e., cross-language synonyms) in either format. These results suggest that children are flexible word learners and that shared bilingual book reading — regardless of book format — is an effective way to teach bilingual children new words in two languages

Reading to bilingual preschoolers: An experimental study of two book formats

We compared word learning of bilingual five-year-olds from two types of bilingual storybook materials: typical single-language books (i.e., two copies of the same book, each in a different language), and bilingual books (i.e. one copy of the book, with text in both languages on each page). Children were successful at learning words in both languages, regardless of book format and language proficiency. Children neither favored nor avoided learning translation equivalents. These results suggest that children are flexible word learners and that shared bilingual book reading — regardless of book format — is an effective way to teach bilingual children new words in two languages

Reading in two languages: Parents’ strategy and language use across book formats during bilingual shared reading

This pre-print presents a study of 24 French-English bilingual parents reading books of different formats (single-language in the parent's dominant language, single-language in the parent's non-dominant language or bilingual) to their pre-school-aged children. We analyzed parents' reading interactions in terms of quantity (number of words) and quality (production of dialogic and bilingual reading strategies), considering both languages separately and together. We present the results of these analyses and discuss potential implications for bilingual families' efforts to support their children's language and literacy development in two languages

Intersections of official and family language policy in Quebec

The current paper describes a study that sought to determine the beliefs, practices, and needs of parents living in Montreal, Quebec, who were raising their children bi/multilingually. The parents (N = 27) participated in a total of nine focus group and individual interviews in which they discussed their family language policies (language ideologies, practices, and actions taken to maintain a language). Through rounds of deductive and inductive coding and analysis, family language policies regarding English and/or French were compared with policies regarding heritage languages. The participants’ family language policies were further examined in light of Quebec’s official language policy of interculturalism. Findings indicate a complex co-existence of family and official language policy in which parents both support Quebec’s official language policy by converging towards French as a common public language and questioning the policy’s stance on official institutional support for heritage languages

Effects of language dominance on home reading practices of bilingual families

Aims and objectives: Many children grow up in bilingual families; however, little is known about how these families use their two languages in their home reading practices. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of language proficiency on the shared storybook reading practices of bilingual families. Methodology: We gathered questionnaire data about home reading activities in French–English bilingual families with 5-year-old children (N = 66) who had different proficiency levels in each language. Data and analyses: We compared home reading environment, parent reading practices, and child learning and interest in books across the families’ dominant and non-dominant languages using a series of 2-way mixed ANOVAs. Findings: Families gave more emphasis to reading practices in the family’s dominant language: they owned more books, read more often, spent more time, and started reading to the child at an earlier age in the dominant than in the non-dominant language. Dominance also affected parent reading behaviors: parents reported more often translating words and switching from their non-dominant to their dominant language. Parents reported that children enjoyed being read to and readily learned new words in both languages, but ratings were higher for the dominant language. Effects of dominance were strongest in families with less balanced language dominance. Originality: This study compares bilingual families’ home reading practices in both of their languages, providing a clearer picture of how families navigate early dual-language literacy in a bilingual community where both languages are spoken in everyday life and have similar sociolinguistic status. Significance: Results suggest that even in bilingual communities, family home reading practices may exacerbate uneven development across children’s two languages. These findings highlight the importance of identifying strategies to support enriched home reading practices in bilingual families’ non-dominant language

Effects of language dominance on home reading practices of bilingual families

Many children grow up in bilingual families, but little is known about how these families use their two languages in their home reading practices. We gathered questionnaire data about home reading activities in French-English bilingual families with 5-year-old children (N = 66). Families lived in Montréal, a bilingual community where both languages are spoken in everyday life and have similar sociolinguistic status. We compared home reading environment, parent reading practices, and child learning and interest in books across the families’ dominant and non-dominant languages. Families gave more weight to reading practices in the family’s dominant language: they owned more books, started reading to the child earlier, read more often, and spent more time reading in the dominant than in the non-dominant language. Dominance also affected parent reading behaviors: parents reported more often translating words and switching from their non-dominant to their dominant language. Parents reported that children enjoyed being read to and readily learned new words in both languages, but ratings were higher for the dominant language. Effects of dominance were strongest in families with more unbalanced language dominance. Taken together, these results suggest that even in bilingual communities, families tend to give more home reading support to the dominant than the non-dominant language. Family home reading practices may exacerbate uneven development across children’s two languages