A research initiative
Children raised abroad don't lose their first language overnight. They lose it in stages — and at every stage, something can still be done. The First Native Scale names those stages, so that parents and professionals can locate a child on the path and act in time.
Most families notice the problem at stage 3 or 4 — when the child already refuses to speak. But attrition begins earlier, quietly: the language of everyday routines survives long after the language of feelings and reasoning has gone. Naming the stage replaces a vague worry ("something is off") with a concrete position and a concrete next step.
The scale rests on parental observation — the most extensively validated source of evidence about a child's heritage language — combined with short, age-adjusted tasks for the child. It is a screening and orientation tool, not a diagnosis.
The scale was developed from qualitative analysis of diagnostic sessions with bilingual families across the US, Germany, Canada, Israel, the UK and other countries, and is being calibrated against ongoing anonymized results. About the data →
A 12-question parent questionnaire with an optional child task, available through our partner services:
First Native