Abstract
Objective: Bilingualism is increasingly prevalent; however, research in bilingual children with autism is sparse. The purpose of this study was to compare social skills and autistic features in monolingual English and bilingual English-Spanish children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: We conducted a review of the multidisciplinary evaluations done in all children aged one to six years diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in an inner city, university-affiliated clinic from 2003 to 2013. Collected information included demographics, developmental testing, and autistic characteristics. Results: We identified 462 children; 165 were bilingual English-Spanish and 297 were monolingual English. Parents of bilingual children reported stereotyped or repetitive use of language more often (66% vs 48% P = 0.002) than monolinguals. Significant differences were not found in social interaction, use of nonverbal behaviors, peer relationships, sharing or social or emotional reciprocity, mannerisms, or autism severity. Conclusions: Bilingualism does not seem to confer an extra vulnerability on children with autism spectrum disorder; however, differences in qualitative use of language were observed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 55-59 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Pediatric Neurology |
Volume | 100 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2019 |
Keywords
- Autism
- Bilingualism
- Language
- Social characteristics
- Young children
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Neurology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Clinical Neurology