The Linguist

FEATURES APRIL/MAY The Linguist 19 A dearth of evidence, added to misconceptions regarding both autism and bilingualism, causes concern for parents and professionals. Bilingual parents of autistic children worry that bilingualism could be a burden for the child, confuse them or slow down their language development. Moreover, they often prioritise the acquisition of the primary language of the country in which they live in order to facilitate access to services and therapies, which are almost exclusively offered in the majority language. As a result, many parents choose not to raise their autistic child bilingually, often in line with the advice given by their clinician. Changing attitudes Is bilingualism more detrimental than monolingualism for autistic people? Or do the benefits of bilingualism observed for neurotypical people also exist for autistic people? The evidence to date suggests that concerns are unfounded and attitudes must change. Indeed, choosing monolingualism for autistic children of bilingual parents is not without its own problems. Many parents who exclusively use their non-native language report difficulties and discomfort when speaking with their child. For parents who are not fluent in the language, this can sometimes lead to low quality and quantity language input or limited communication with the child. Yet quality language communication is essential for the development of linguistic, communicative and social skills. As such, prioritising the majority language when parents are not comfortable using it can be particularly detrimental for a child's development. Furthermore, being raised monolingually in a bilingual family can have severe consequences for the autistic person's ability to connect with their extended family and community, access their cultural heritage, and form their own identity. Most studies of bilingualism in autistic children have focused on language development. While this body of research is still limited, systematic reviews have found that bilingualism caused no further delay to autistic children's language development when compared to their monolingual peers. However, more research is needed, in particular regarding minimally or non-speaking children. Fewer studies have addressed the effect of bilingualism on other behaviours or cognitive skills in autistic children. Still, recent findings show either no detrimental effect or a positive effect compared to monolingualism in domains such as non-verbal intelligence, adaptive functioning and sustained attention. There is another key, yet under- researched, domain known to be relevant to bilingualism that could be crucial for autistic people: social abilities. Accounting for diversity Difficulties understanding certain social information is a defining feature of autism. These difficulties stem from a difference in social cognition – the set of mental processes involved in perceiving, understanding and responding to social information – compared to people who are not autistic. Typical development of social cognition relies on both social and language inputs, and there is a hypothesis that language plays an even greater role for autistic people to compensate for social difficulties. Research in neurotypical children shows that bilingualism could stimulate the development of social cognitive processes, with bilingual children reaching specific developmental thresholds earlier than their monolingual peers. Could bilingualism also shape social cognition in autistic people? This is the question at the centre of my PhD research. In particular, I wanted to identify which aspect of bilingualism, if any, could shape social cognition in autistic people. Indeed, bilingualism is not a binary experience, and any effect of bilingualism on the mind or the brain is not a 'one size fits all'. Bilingualism is a spectrum defined by many features of the bilingual experience, such as the number of languages known, the age of acquisition, proficiency, and the way these languages are used. wn to be beneficial why is it sometimes discouraged for autistic people? how growing up with more than one language affects autistic children benefits of being bilingual A PARENTING DILEMMA Parents may worry that raising their children bilingually could be detrimental, so research that reassures them of its benefits is vital © IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK

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