How multilingualism benefits executive function in autism

Research has revealed that multilingual children with autism exhibit stronger cognitive skills and social communication, highlighting the potential benefits of exposure to multiple languages.

study: Multilingualism impacts children's executive functions and core symptoms of autism. Image credit: Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock.com

In a recent study published in the journal autism research, Researchers investigated the effects of multilingualism on executive function (EF) abilities in children with autism. In this study, monolingual and multilingual children aged 7 to 12 years (n = 112) with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were evaluated for social communication, perspective-taking, and social communication. Acquisition was compared across domains of repetitive behavior.

Research shows that children from multilingual families have better change, perspective-taking, and inhibition skills than those from monolingual families.

These findings were particularly pronounced in children with ASD. This study is the first to further assess the linkage between multilingual exposure, EF, and ASD symptoms and to report associations between these aspects.

background

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an umbrella term for several neurological and developmental conditions that impair a patient's ability to interact, communicate, learn, and behave.

This is an incredibly common condition that is estimated to affect approximately 1 in 100 children, and unfortunately there is no cure, so it remains throughout the child's life.

Previous studies have demonstrated significant differences in the development of executive function (EF) abilities in children with ASD compared to typically developing (TD) children. Executive functions are the functions that enable day-to-day management, learning, and goal-oriented growth.

Although recent studies have demonstrated that multilingual exposure can improve EF development in children with TD, similar research on children with ASD remains lacking and confusing.

Furthermore, the association between EF, “core ASD symptoms” (social communication, perspective taking, and social communication) and multilingualism in both ASD and TD children remains unclear.

About research

This study had three main objectives. 1. To examine whether multilingualism affects EF and whether the strength of this effect differs between children with ASD and TD. 2. Investigate the impact of multilingualism on core symptoms of ASD. 3. Assess whether EF acts as a mediator in the association between core symptoms of ASD and multilingualism.

The study cohort consisted of 53 children with ASD (21 multilingual) and 63 TD children (35 multilingual) aged 7–12 years.

Participants with incomplete ASD symptom measurement scores, demographic data, or additional potentially confounding diagnoses (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) [ADHD]) were excluded from the analysis (n = 4). Questionnaires completed by parents were used to determine the child's multilingual status and proficiency.

Executive function was assessed using the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2 (BRIEF-2).

Core ASD symptoms were assessed using the Child Empathy Quotient (EQ-C), Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), and Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R). Statistical calculations were performed in R software (2023) and included linear regression and mediation analysis.

Research results

Comparing ASD and TD revealed that the latter cohort had significantly better inhibitory performance than the former. Notably, multilingual children in both cohorts outperformed monolingual children in the same cohort, and the observed performance improvements were most pronounced in children with ASD. It was.

These findings suggest that exposure to multiple languages ​​may have positive benefits for children with ASD and reduce their inherent inhibitory behaviors.

An analysis of the core symptoms of autism reveals a similar pattern, with multilingual children outperforming monolingual children in the same cohort in perspective-taking. The highest performance gains were observed in multilingual children with ASD.

However, exposure to multiple languages ​​had no effect on social communication skills or repetitive behaviors.

Mediation analyzes revealed that multilingualism had direct and indirect benefits for perspective taking (core ASD). In one model, multilingualism was observed to directly improve perspective-taking.

In another model, multilingualism was associated with better EF scores, and better EF scores led to better perspective-taking. This provides the first confirmation of a linkage between EF, multilingualism, and a core ASD symptom (perspective taking).

conclusion

In this study, we evaluated the potential effects of multilingual exposure on EF and core ASD symptoms in 112 monolingual or multilingual children (age = 1 age) cohort was used. Findings revealed that multilingualism significantly improves the EF and core ASD performance of both ASD and TD children relative to the same group of monolingual children.

Although TD children outperform children with ASD on all metrics, the strength of multilingual gains in children with ASD far exceeds that of TD children, indicating that they are developmentally different. It serves to bridge the gap between these children.

This study further demonstrated a cascading association between multilingualism, EF, and core ASD symptoms, and between these previously thought to be inconspicuous factors in childhood development. provided the first evidence of direct and indirect relationships.

“The importance of our findings lies in the novelty of demonstrating the dual association of multilingualism in improving EF skills and reducing core symptoms of ASD. We contribute to the understanding of potential cognitive correlates and provide insight into evidence-based interventions aimed at improving outcomes in this clinical population, particularly encouraging multilingualism within the home. To do that, EF suggests that it may be a “natural intervention” strategy to enhance some aspects of ”