Language Differences Betweeen Monolingual English and Bilingual English-Spanish Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

2012

Lisa Shulman
[email protected]
718-430-3901

The goal of the study was to compare expressive and receptive language skills in monolingual English and bilingual English-Spanish children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. A review of the multidisciplinary evaluations done in toddlers who were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at a University Affiliated Center between 2003-2010 was performed. Data included demographics, developmental testing, autistic characteristics, and language skills, obtained from formal speech and language evaluation. A total of 80 toddlers were identified, 40 classified as bilingual English-Spanish. Compared to monolinguals, bilingual children were more likely to vocalize and utilize gestures, with no other differences in language skills. There were no differences in cognitive functioning and autistic features between the groups. Bilingualism did not negatively affect language development in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Peer-reviewed publications in scholarly journals submitted

Professionals

N/A