Parenting a child who has recently been diagnosed with Autism can be overwhelming.
There is often an influx of new information and decisions to be made. Such as, should I put my
child in therapy? What sort of therapy? What is an IEP? Will putting a ‘label’ on my child harm
their future? Some questions may never have a clear-cut answer and will depend on a family’s
values and resources. However, one question that all professionals should answer for parents is:
Can my child learn English in school and keep speaking Arabic/Korean/Spanish/etc. at home?
Your answer should be YES!
Children with autism can absolutely learn multiple languages. There is no substantial
evidence that a child with autism may be negatively impacted by learning more than one
language 12 . Nearly one-quarter of all households in the state of Illinois speak a language other
than English, and worldwide, 2/3rds of the world’s population speaks at least two languages.
Multilingualism can be a great gift that opens someone’s life to new experiences and
opportunities. Research has shown that children with Autism and other developmental
disabilities may experience “bilingual benefits.” These are well-documented cognitive
advantages found in typically developing bilingual adults and children.
Advising a family against maintaining their heritage (home) language may negatively
impact caregiver and family member’s ability to comfortably and fluently engage with their
child 34 . Family members are a child’s first and most influential teachers! Advising multilingual
family members to only speak English to their child may lower the quality of interactions
between them and the child. We know the importance and benefit that high-quality interactions
with a caregiver can have on a young child’s language and social development. Also, if a child
does not learn the language of their community, this may decrease their future opportunities to
meaningfully engage with their peers, cousins, and extended family and friends. Please help the
families you work with to engage with their children in the most comfortable and meaningful
language for them.
I encourage my fellow professionals to help families find a support system in their native
language as much as possible. Also, be aware that families may have been falsely told by other
professionals that multilingualism may negatively impact their child’s learning and development.
This is a myth! Encourage and practice evidence-based decision-making and inform your
colleagues of the benefits of multilingualism too.
Melanie R Martin, M.A., BCBA
PhD Student in Special Education at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
(Image description: A young child’s hands rest over a globe. North and South America are
visible.) (Stock image found through Microsoft word.)
1 Wang, M., Jegathesan, T., Young, E., Huber, J., & Minhas, R. (2018). Raising children with
autism spectrum disorders in monolingual vs bilingual homes: A scoping review. Journal of
Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 39(5), 434–446.
https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000000574
2 Uljarević, M., Katsos, N., Hudry, K., & Gibson, J. L. (2016). Practitioner Review:
Multilingualism and neurodevelopmental disorders – an overview of recent research and
discussion of clinical implications. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied
Disciplines, 57(11), 1205–1217. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12596
3 Papoudi, D., Jørgensen, C. R., Guldberg, K., & Meadan, H. (2020). Perceptions, experiences,
and needs of parents of culturally and linguistically diverse children with autism: A Scoping
review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2017.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-020-00210-1
4 Lim, N., O’Reilly, M. F., Sigafoos, J., Ledbetter-Cho, K., & Lancioni, G. E. (2019). Should
heritage languages be incorporated into interventions for bilingual individuals with
Neurodevelopmental disorders? A Systematic Review. Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders, 49(3), 887–912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3790-8
