I recently came across several articles on Autism and Bilingualism. I think it is often assumed that students who are on the autism spectrum should not be encouraged to learn a second language and there has not been much research on the connection between bilingualism and autism. Here is a quote from the article:
“It is critical to have more sound evidence for families to use when making important educational and child-rearing decisions, since they are often advised that exposing a child with ASD to more than one language will just worsen their language difficulties,” said Ana Maria Gonzalez-Barrero who led the study while at McGill University.
But this study demonstrated that children who are “on the spectrum who are bilingual appear to be able to switch gears more quickly than their peers who speak only a single language.” Children on the autism spectrum often have difficulty switching gears from one task to another, so this is a surprising finding.
The article does not explain how the children became bilingual, but I am assuming that it comes from a bilingual environment in the children’s homes and not necessarily from a classroom learning environment, but the implications for classroom language learning would be significant and a strong reason to encourage students on the spectrum to learn a second language.
Here is a link to the article in “Disability Scoop,” so that you can read it for yourself and decide what you think:
https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/01/16/being-bilingual-plus-autism/24597/
It was also in “EurekAlert!” at this link: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/mu-bbm011218.php
