Language abilities in bilingual Children With Autism (CWA)

Abstract

Bilingual children with Autism (CWA) have a general language deficiency that manifests in every language and evidence is towards a positive attitude toward dual language learning. This study aims at examining the similarities and differences in linguistic characteristics between bilingual and monolingual CWA in the age range of 4-10 years, with a diagnosis of mild-moderate severity of autism and normal range of IQ with no associated deficits. The participants used language productively at least at the one word level and had been exposed to the languages since at least 15 months of age. Participants were matched based on socio-economic status on the NIMH SES Checklist (Venkatesan, 2009) and their language age on the Language Assessment Checklist (Swapna, Geetha, Prema & Jayaram, 2010). Phase I had consisted of collecting the social-demographic, educational and language proficiency by using a questionnaire developed for the purpose. In Phase II, standardized tests, semantics and syntax sections of the Linguistic Profile Test - Hindi (Karanth, Pandit, & Gandhi, 1986) and English Language Testing for Indian Children (ELTIC) by Bhuvaneshwari (2009), were administered. Both monolingual and bilingual CWA showed similar patterns of language deficits, within and among themselves. It was concluded that bilingualism had neither a positive nor negative effect on language abilities in CWA. This study supports the argument that parents' language practices are particularly influential in the case of CWA and that families should be encouraged to continue speaking their home-language, to ensure a high-quality social and language input during his/her language development.