Autism and bilingualism: A qualitative interview study of parents’ perspectives and experiences

Abstract

Purpose. Research into how bilingual parents of children with ASD make choices about their children’s language environment is scarce. This study aimed to explore this issue, focusing on understanding how bilingual parents of children with ASD may make different language exposure choices than bilingual parents of children without ASD. Method. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 bilingual parents with a child with ASD, and 18 bilingual parents with a typically developing child. Results. Thematic analysis revealed that, in contrast to parents of typically developing children, parents with a child with ASD expressed concerns that a bilingual environment would cause confusion for their child and exacerbate language delays. This was particularly common for parents of children with lower verbal ability. Parents also identified potential benefits of bilingualism, particularly in terms of maintaining a close and affectionate bond with their child. Conclusions. Parents of children with ASD have concerns about bilingualism not present for parents of TD children and these concerns are greater for parents of children with lower verbal ability. Future research in this area should take into account factors such as parent-child bonds, as well as communication and language development.

Parental Perceptions and Decisions Regarding Maintaining Bilingualism in Autism

“…For families who had decided to maintain bilingualism, the most commonly cited factor was that exposure to the home language would allow children to enjoy relationships with extended family members in a way that monolingualism would not. This finding is consistent with existing research in this area (Hampton et al 2017;Paradis and Govindarajan 2018;Peña 2016) and suggests that the advice to speak just one language to children from multilingual families may have detrimental effects on their social relationships; this could be particularly problematic given the social challenges that some individuals on the autism spectrum experience. Other factors parents reported in favour of maintaining bilingualism in autism included the fact that their child could feasibly cope with more than one language and practical concerns, such as parents' own language proficiency.…”

“…Participants also highlighted the cultural pertinence of bilingualism for their child, and many felt strongly that speaking the home language was akin to inheriting a cultural identity. However, in keeping with existing research (Hampton et al 2017;Ijalba 2016;Yu 2016), concerns about confusion, consistency and 'overloading the brain' were cited by families from group 2, who had opted for a more monolingual approach.…”

“…An emerging body of research documents the interaction between autism and bilingualism, focusing primarily on the decisions that multilingual families make about language use if their child is diagnosed with autism. These studies consistently find that parents are advised to adopt a monolingual approach (Hampton et al 2017;Yu 2013). This is contrary to the growing evidence that children on the autism spectrum have the capacity to learn or maintain a second language (Peterson et al 2012;Valicenti-McDermott et al 2013).…”

“…This study highlights the need for more research into the effects of bilingual exposure on individuals on the autism spectrum as well as how autistic traits affect children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (Lim et al 2018). Along with Hampton et al (2017), we recommend that further research explores how language choices influence the well-being of children on the autism spectrum and their families. Given that the severity of autistic symptoms and the child's ability to communicate their basic needs emerged as key factors in making language decisions, more critical attention should be afforded to the impact of bilingual exposure on non-verbal children on the autism spectrum, as well as those with limited speech.…”

“…Certain studies outline the myriad benefits of bilingual exposure for children on the autism spectrum. These include: developing multicultural identities and the preservation of heritage (Jegatheesan 2011;Yu 2013); participation in religious life (Jegatheesan 2011); enriched relationships with, and access to, immediate and extended family members (Bird et al 2016b;Hampton et al 2017;Yu 2013); and cognitive skills related to attention (Gonzalez-Barrero and Nadig 2019).…”