Developmental Disorder and Multilingualism

Tamiya Satoshi

doi:10.2496/hbfr.42.277

I discuss the following three questions in regard to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and multilingualism. . 1) Do multilingual environments adversely affect the language development of children with ASD ? 2) Can children with ASD acquire multiple languages ? 3) How can we assess whether a childʼs language problems are caused by the multilingual environment or a disorder ? Regarding 1) and 2) , I refer a research paper published in 2012. The authors assessed the language development of 75 children with ASD (mean age : 4.5 years) , dividing them into three groups : monolinguals, simultaneous bilinguals, and sequential bilinguals. The results showed no significant differences between these groups. There now seems to be a consensus that multiple language environments do not affect the language development of children with ASD adversely, and that children with ASD can acquire multiple languages. Regarding 3) , I present a case of a Japanese girl with ASD to demonstrate the significance of thorough understanding of multilingualsʼ psycholinguistic characteristics in accurate language development assessment of multilingual children. The girl spent her early years in a foreign country where English was the official language. At the age of seven, a psychiatric evaluation of her communication problems concluded her language delay was attributed to ASD, and not to the multilingual environment.

Developmental Disorder and Multilingualism

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