PEECH DELAY AND HIDDEN COGNITIVE STRENGTHS IN FL LEARNING

Abstract

Speech delay is commonly treated as a stable and universal developmental deficit, assumed to manifest consistently across linguistic contexts. However, emerging research in bilingualism, psycholinguistics, and neurocognition suggests that language processing is highly sensitive to structural, cognitive, and sociocultural variables. This article explores the hypothesis that speech delay may not be universal but language-specific, and that its visibility can vary across different linguistic systems. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from bilingual language activation, executive function research, competence - performance distinction, and sociocultural theory, the paper examines how foreign language learning may reduce observable speech difficulties and reveal latent cognitive or metalinguistic strengths. The analysis integrates insights from bilingual cognition studies and inclusive education frameworks to argue that foreign language instruction can function as a compensatory and diagnostic resource rather than an additional burden for children diagnosed with speech delay. Reconsidering speech delay through a cross-linguistic lens has significant implications for assessment practices, educational policy, and strength-based pedagogical approaches. The study calls for more dynamic and multilingual-sensitive models of evaluation within inclusive educational contexts.