Abstract
Parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) express concern about raising their children bilingually, and often hear advice from professionals against the use of bilingualism. The current study examined the relation between bilingualism and the language and social communication skills of toddlers diagnosed with ASD (N = 353) in the US, while controlling for socioeconomic risk factors. Structural equation modeling showed no differences in language skills between bilingual Spanish–English speaking children and monolingual English-speaking (p = .596) or monolingual Spanish-speaking (p = .963) children and showed a bilingual advantage on socialization skills when comparing bilingual and monolingual English-speaking children (p = .001). Parents of autistic children exposed to Spanish and English should be encouraged to raise their child bilingually if it best suits familial needs.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Frances Martinez Pedraza for her foundational work on the screening model behind this project. We thank Laurel Wainwright for her initial contributions to this project. We also thank the staff and graduate students who served as clinicians and assessors during our diagnostic evaluations, our partnering EI directors and key EI staff partners, and partners at the Department of Public Health. Special gratitude goes to the staff members and graduate students who conducted Spanish and bilingual assessments, who include Luisa Buitrago, Alison Chavez, Frances Dumont Reyes, Araci Ferreira, Frances Martinez Pedraza, Nora Portillo, Yakira Valerio, Juan Diego Vera, and the first author. We also extend our gratitude to the participating children and families, Early Intervention providers, graduate students, and study staff.
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This research was supported by a Health Resources Services Administration grant to Drs. Eisenhower and Carter (R40MC26195) and by a National Institute of Mental Health grant to Drs. Sheldrick and Carter (R01MH104400). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, NIMH, or the US Government.
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IH participated in data collection, generated the specific research questions described in this manuscript, wrote and revised the manuscript drafts, co-conducted data analysis and interpretation, and finalized the manuscript for submission. AE* participated in the design of the study, directed and contributed to data collection, co-conducted data analyses, drafted sections of the manuscript, and contributed to revising the final manuscript. RCS participated in the design of the study, and contributed to revising the final manuscript. ASC was central to conceptualizing the model on which the study is based, participated in the design of the study, directed and contributed to data collection, and contributed to revising the final manuscript.
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Dr. Sheldrick is the co-creator of the POSI, which is one of the two first-stage screeners used in screening children for eligibility for the diagnostic assessments described in this study. He conducts research related to this instrument but receives no royalties. Dr. Carter is the co-creator of the POSI but receives no royalties. She is also co-creator of the BITSEA, which is the other one the two first-stage screeners used in screening children for eligibility for the diagnostic assessments described in this study.
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Hastedt, I., Eisenhower, A., Sheldrick, R.C. et al. Bilingual and Monolingual Autistic Toddlers: Language and Social Communication Skills. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 2185–2202 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05504-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05504-3