What Is the Impact of Second Language Exposure and Intellectual Disability Status on Executive Function and Functional Communication Outcomes in Children and Adolescents With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

This study looked at whether learning a second language harms children with autism's thinking and communication skills. Researchers found that children with autism who were exposed to a second language actually had better thinking skills than those who only spoke one language. Using a second language didn't hurt their abilities, even for children with autism who also had intellectual disabilities. Communication skills were similar whether children used one or two languages.

This study examined whether second language exposure negatively impacts executive function and functional communication in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly those with intellectual disability. The research included 396 children and adolescents aged 5-16 years, comparing those with and without ASD and second language exposure. Results indicated that children with ASD who had second language exposure demonstrated significantly better executive function skills and were less likely to have clinical-range executive dysfunction compared to monolingual peers with ASD. Importantly, second language exposure did not negatively impact executive function even when intellectual disability was present.

No significant differences were found in functional communication skills between groups.

Results support encouraging multilingual families to maintain their heritage languages with autistic children. Clinicians should not advise against second language exposure for children with ASD, even those with intellectual disabilities. However, findings need replication with larger samples before making definitive clinical recommendations.

Very small sample of children with ASD and intellectual disability (n=18, with only 8 having second language exposure). Authors explicitly note additional research with larger samples is urgently needed. Study relies on parent-reported measures rather than direct assessment of language skills.

Over the past 10 years, research has suggested no negative effect on second language exposure in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet, parents and professionals may be concerned that using a second language with a child with ASD may negatively impact their communication and cognitive skills, especially if the child also has an intellectual disability. In this study, 396 children and adolesents (5-16 years) with and without ASD and with and without second language exposure participated in the study. Parents reported on language exposure and rated executive function (EF) and functional communication (FC) skills using a standardized questionnaire. IQ was directly measured using the WASI-II and children were classified as having an intellectual disability if they had a full-scale score of less than 70.

The sample included 18 children with ASD and an intellectual disability (10 without second language exposure, 8 with second language exposure). Results showed that children with ASD and second language exposure had significantly better EF skills and were significantly less likely to have executive dysfunction in the clinical range than children with ASD with no second language exposure. Second language exposure also did not have a negative impact on EF skills in children with ASD even when an intellectual disability was present. For FC skills, we failed to find significant difference between children with ASD with and without second language exposure.

For children with ASD and intellectual disability, there was no significant difference on FC skills between children with and without second language exposure. As our sample of children with ASD and intellectual disability was small, additional research with a larger sample is urgently needed.