Many professionals working with bilingual families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are concerned that the bilingual language context may lead to further language learning difficulties. As a result, it is often recommended that children with ASD be raised as monolingual speakers. The purpose of this article is to review the research on (a) bilingualism in neurotypical children and in children with development disabilities and language disorders, (b) the language development of bilingual children with ASD, and (c) the implications of recommending that these children be brought up as monolinguals when they live in bilingual contexts. Based on current evidence, children with ASD can become bilingual, and bilingualism does not lead to further language delays. Furthermore, research has shown detrimental effects for both the child and their family when children with ASD from bilingual contexts are raised as monolinguals. Current evidence therefore supports the recommendation that children with ASD from bilingual contexts be raised bilingually.
IntroductionMinority-language speakers in the general population face barriers to accessing healthcare services. This scoping review aims to examine the barriers to healthcare access for minority-language speakers who have a neurodevelopmental disorder. Our goal is to inform healthcare practitioners and policy makers thus improving healthcare services for this population.Inclusion criteriaInformation was collected from studies whose participants include individuals with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) who are minority-language speakers, their family members, and healthcare professionals who work with them. We examined access to healthcare services across both medical and para-medical services.MethodSearches were completed using several databases. We included all types of experimental, quasi-experimental, observational and descriptive studies, as well as studies using qualitative methodologies. Evidence selection and data extraction was completed by two independent reviewers and compared. Data extraction focused on the barriers to accessing and to utilizing healthcare for minority-language speakers with NDDs. The search process and ensuing results were fully reported using a diagram from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for scoping review.ResultsFollowing the database search, a total of 28 articles met our final selection criteria and two articles were hand-picked based on our knowledge of the literature, for a total of 30 articles. These studies revealed that minority-language speakers with NDDs and their families experience several barriers to accessing and utilizing healthcare services. These barriers, identified at the Systems, Provider and Family Experience levels, have important consequences on children's outcomes and families' well-being.DiscussionWhile our review outlined several barriers to access and utilization of healthcare services for minority-language speakers with NDDs and their families, our findings give rise to concrete solutions. These solutions have the potential to mitigate the identified barriers, including development and implementation of policies and guidelines that support minority-language speakers, practitioner training, availability of referral pathways to appropriate services, access to tools and other resources such as interpretation services, and partnership with caregivers. Further research needs to shift from describing barriers to examining the efficacy of the proposed solutions in mitigating and eliminating identified barriers, and ensuring equity in healthcare for minority-language speakers with NDDs.
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