A local professional (e.g. a doctor, psychologist, speech therapist) advised me against bilingualism. Is this correct?      The doctor or teacher is not usually trained to answer questions about bilingual children. All too often, both members of the public and professionals tend to advise against bilingualism. To them, it is more natural for a child to be monolingual. Learning two languages would seem to exacerbate problems, seem to provide more worries, more of a chance for failure in language development, educational development, identity formation and community integration. As well meaning, as honest and professional as these people are, they are not the ones to consult about bilingual problems.