Does Balance of Multilingual Exposure Impact Gesture Comprehension in Autistic Children?

Researchers studied 86 autistic children to see if being exposed to multiple languages affects their ability to understand gestures. Children did a game-like task involving different types of gestures and speech. The study found that multilingual exposure doesn't harm autistic children's ability to understand gestures. Older children and those with better language skills performed better overall, suggesting these abilities develop naturally over time.

This study examined whether multilingual language exposure affects gesture comprehension in 86 autistic children aged 4-12 years. Participants completed a gamified task assessing comprehension of three gesture types (deictic, iconic, conventional) across four communication modalities: gesture alone, gesture with reinforcing speech, gesture with supplementing speech, and speech alone. Balance of multilingual exposure (BME) was measured using parental reports. Results showed autistic children performed well overall, with no differential impact of multilingual exposure on gesture comprehension across gesture types.

Age and language skills were significant positive predictors of performance, while multilingual exposure showed no detrimental effects on communicative development.

Findings support that multilingual families need not avoid multiple language exposure for autistic children. Clinicians can reassure families that multilingual environments don't impair gesture comprehension development. Focus should remain on supporting overall language development and considering natural maturation processes in intervention planning.

Described as preliminary study. Sample characteristics and methodology details not fully specified in abstract. Relies on parental reports for multilingual exposure measurement. Cross-sectional design limits understanding of developmental trajectories.

This study explores whether and how balance of multilingual exposure (BME) impacts gesture comprehension in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Eighty-six autistic children (aged 4-12 years) varying in their balance of exposure to different languages completed a gamified task assessing the comprehension of deictic, iconic, and conventional gestures presented in four communicative modalities: (a) gesture presented alone (e.g., gesturing DRIVE), (b) with reinforcing speech (e.g., gesturing DRIVE and saying "driving"), (c) with supplementing speech (e.g., gesturing DRIVE and saying "lady"), compared to (d) speech alone (e.g., saying "driving"). A BME score reflected the participants' balance of exposure to more than one language since birth, based on parental reports. Overall, children with ASD performed well on the task (i.e., above chance level).

Accounting for age, biological sex, socioeconomic status, autism severity, nonverbal IQ and general language skills, mixed-effects logistic regressions showed no differential effect of BME on the comprehension of deictic, iconic, and conventional gestures. Age and language skills were significant independent positive predictors of the performance, highlighting the maturating process of gesture comprehension over time on the one hand, and reflecting the importance of language for gesture comprehension on the other. This preliminary study paves the way for future research exploring the impact of multilingualism on the gesture comprehension abilities of individuals with ASD and provides new evidence suggesting that multilingual exposure is not detrimental to their communicative development.