Are you bilingual? Do you speak English fluently as well as another language, say Spanish? It seems bilingualism brings more cognitive benefits than ordinarily perceived.

According to an article by Dr. Kathie Nunley over at help4teachers.com, bilingualism have several advantages. People who speak and read two languages fluently have better problem solving skills, better attention, improved executive processing skills, and reduced risks for Alzheimer’s, dementia and other progressive cognitive diseases. Children who learn two languages early have better reading skills and stronger working memory.

The reason is simple: Like a muscle, our brains work overtime to cope with hearing and using two languages at the same time. Although a person may live and work in a monolinguistic environment, the brain translates both languages together. For example, a person who speaks both Spanish and English may work as an in-home tutor in America, but continues to think in Spanish even when speaking English to others.

The vocabularies used for each language are intertwined. The region of the brain responsible for this organization is the pre-frontal cortex. This integration of linguistic skills and executive processing skills is revealed in cases of aphasic patients. Injuries to the pre-frontal cortex result to deficits in language use, such as an inability to use verbs or nouns during conversation. If the person is bilingual, he or she loses the ability in both languages.

This strange gift should be encouraged among bilingual students. Ask them to use both languages when answering questions or when sharing stories. When teaching Math or Science, explain concepts using both languages. Encourage students to read books written not only in English, but also in their second language.