By: Sirad Shirdon One question that I often get from Somali parents is how to improve children’s Somali language skills. Exposure to language rich environments is crucial in developing children’s oral and written language skills. A strong foundation in a child’s first language (L1) will help facilitate a child’s acquisition of their second language…
By: Sirad Shirdon Picture this. You are a busy mother trying to keep an eye on your young children, while trying to get dinner ready. What to do? The truth is some would turn the TV on, in hopes of occupying the kids for a short while. In many Somali households here in Ohio, the…
By: Sirad Shirdon “ We only use English in the home”. As a speech-language pathologist, families often admit that they speak English exclusively in the home. If these families were from English speaking backgrounds, this would be understandable. However, I am increasingly hearing this from families who come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The…
The Somali Literacy Project 