Speaking more than one language is linked with better executive function in children both with and without autism, according to a new study. The findings were published in Autism Research.
Recent studies suggest that multilingualism positively affects executive functioning abilities in children with autism. Until now, however, the link between multilingualism, executive function abilities, and core symptoms of autism, such as perspective-taking, social communication, and repetitive behavior, has remained unknown.
In the current study, researchers recruited 53 children with autism, of whom 21 were multilingual, alongside 63 typically developing children, of whom 35 were multilingual. The children were aged between 7 and 12 years old. Most multilingual households spoke English and Spanish.
Parents scored their child's executive function skills, including inhibition, the ability to suppress doing something irrelevant or getting distracted; working memory, temporarily holding information; and shifting, the ability to switch between two or more different tasks. They also scored core abilities affected by autism, including the ability to understand different perspectives, social communication, and repetitive behaviors.
Multilingual children were ultimately found to have stronger inhibition, shifting, and perspective-taking skills than monolingual children. The findings further suggested that the effects of multilingualism were stronger for children with autism than typically-developing children.
“If you have to juggle two languages, you have to suppress one in order to use the other. That's the idea, that inhibition might be bolstered by knowing two languages," said study lead author Dr. Lucina Uddin, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles in a press release.
“The big takeaway is we don’t see any negative effects of speaking multiple languages in the home. It's actually beneficial to celebrate all the languages associated with your culture,” she added.
The researchers intend to conduct further research that will recruit around 150 children with autism and will include more executive function and language tests alongside brain imaging.
Sources: EurekAlert, Autism Research
