Multilingualism May Enhance Executive Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Recent research reveals that multilingualism enhances executive function in children, especially those with autism spectrum disorder, suggesting benefits through improved impulse control and social understanding.
A recent study has found that speaking more than one language may benefit children's executive function, particularly those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Published in Autism Research, the study examined 116 children aged 7 to 12. Among them, 53 had ASD while 63 did not, although four children were later excluded from the analysis.
Of the children with ASD, 21 were multilingual, as were 35 typically developing peers. The multilingual children predominantly spoke English and Spanish, with some also fluent in Portuguese, Hebrew, French, Japanese, or Bulgarian.
The researchers assessed the children's executive function abilities and collected data from parents via questionnaires that evaluated autism symptoms such as perspective taking—the ability to understand perspectives beyond one's own—and social communication.
Results indicated that multilingual children exhibited better executive function skills than their peers who spoke only one language, independently of ASD status. However, the effect was notably stronger among multilingual children with ASD, who demonstrated significantly improved impulse control compared to their single-language counterparts on the autism spectrum.
The study highlighted a "direct and indirect association between multilingualism and perspective taking." Researchers suggested that being multilingual may enhance one's ability to interpret social cues and engage in linguistic understanding.
The cognitive demands of choosing the appropriate language may sharpen the executive functions of multilingual children. “If you have to juggle two languages, you have to suppress one in order to use the other,” stated Lucina Uddin, a former professor at the University of Miami and currently a professor at UCLA. “That’s the idea; that inhibition—or the ability to stop yourself from doing something—might be bolstered by knowing two languages,” she added.
In conclusion, promoting multilingualism at home could serve as a beneficial strategy for children with autism spectrum disorders, potentially acting as a natural intervention for improving certain executive functions.
