A LOVE FOR LANGUAGE, INC.
MIRAMAR, FLORIDA

A Love For Language, Inc . is a company that was launched in December 2008 by Lucy Windevoxhel, M.S., CCC-SLP. Lucy, a bilingual speech-language pathologist, and owner and operator wanted to offer speech and language evaluation and therapy services at home and school settings. The philosophical principles that guide A Love For Language, Inc are: This has worked for my family. We come from a family where many members are either from a different country or currently reside in a different country. We like to talk about where all of our family members live or came from. We also talk about the different languages spoken in other countries. My daughter speaks English and Spanish but has also learned words in Portuguese, Italian, French and ASL. I strongly believe that it is very important for children to view multilingualism and multiculturalism as a normal and desired process. This may help prevent them from feeling embarrassed or ashamed about being different as they get older. They have to learn from the time they are little that differences are good. If we accept others that are different from us, our children will be less likely to fear rejection. by providing them the same vocabulary at home. For example, when my three year old tells me she's learning about "mammals" I respond with enthusiasm in Spanish and I tell her that "mammals" are "mamíferos" and then proceed to ask her what she learned about mammals (all this in Spanish). Even though she speaks better Spanish than English, typically when she tells me about school she switches to English. I don't reprimand her for speaking in English, but I do respond in Spanish and I make sure I am giving her the Spanish vocabulary she needs to talk about the topic in question. Most preschools provide parents with a calendar of themes for each week or a daily log of activities. If your child does not really talk about what he did at school you can learn by looking at this calendar or talking to his teacher and then try to continue the theme at home in your native language. The language used in school is normally more sophisticated than the language used at home. For the bilingual child this means that once he starts school his home language will lag behind unless parents make sure that they are matching the school vocabulary at home. I NEVER reprimand my daughter for speaking English. I know she wants and needs to practice the skills she is acquiring. However, I do tell her that when we are spending time together as a family we speak Spanish. I have even explained to her that if she doesn't , she may forget Spanish. I want her to know now that forgetting a language would be a LOSS, something sad, something to mourn. We also talk with joy and admiration about the people we know who speak several languages and about new languages we want to learn. In addition to the aforementioned strategies the following may help: We are here to help. Don't hesitate to send us a message with your questions or concerns.