Immigrant Children Face Double the Risk of Language Vulnerability, Study Finds

Immigrant Children Face Double the Risk of Language Vulnerability, Study Finds
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According to Earth.com, a major study conducted in Australia highlights the significant developmental challenges faced by children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families upon starting school.

Researchers from Curtin University and the University of Adelaide analyzed data from over 10,000 CALD children, comparing them to nearly 50,000 of their peers. The study found that CALD children had a 23% higher chance of overall developmental vulnerability.

The most critical gap was in communication and language skills, where CALD children faced more than double the risk of vulnerability compared to non-CALD children. Language spoken at home, maternal background, and gender were also found to shape outcomes, with CALD girls showing particularly high risks. The study, published in the World Journal of Pediatrics, urges policymakers to implement targeted, culturally sensitive support, such as language resources and teacher training, to prevent these early gaps from growing into lifelong inequalities.