Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Medical Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine , Washington, DC, USA.
Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of America , Washington, DC, USA.
Child Neuropsychol. 2020 Oct;26(7):917-933. doi: 10.1080/09297049.2020.1733512. Epub 2020 Mar 11.
More dual language learners (DLLs) are being identified early with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, many families are still being advised against dual language exposure, despite a lack of evidence of negative impacts on language development in ASD. Research in typically developing children has noted advantages for bilinguals in domains such as executive functioning and social skills, but less is known about the effects in ASD. The present study evaluated differences in executive functioning and social communication in young children (n = 55) with ASD. Dual-language learners with ASD had significantly fewer parent reported executive functioning problems and repetitive behaviors; parent-reported social communication skills were generally comparable across groups. Our findings indicate that the bilingual advantage in executive functioning may extend to children with neurodevelopmental conditions.
越来越多的双语学习者（DLL）被早期确诊为自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）。然而，尽管缺乏证据表明 ASD 患者的语言发展受到负面影响，但仍有许多家庭被建议避免双语暴露。在正常发育的儿童中进行的研究表明，双语者在执行功能和社交技能等领域具有优势，但在 ASD 中，相关影响的了解较少。本研究评估了 ASD 幼儿（n=55）在执行功能和社交沟通方面的差异。患有 ASD 的双语儿童的父母报告的执行功能问题和重复行为明显较少；父母报告的社交沟通技能在各组之间通常相当。我们的研究结果表明，双语在执行功能方面的优势可能延伸到神经发育障碍的儿童。
