A recent study published in Autism Research examined the effects of multilingualism on executive function (EF) and core autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in children aged 7 to 12, both with and without ASD. The research included 116 participants, 53 of whom had ASD.
The study found that multilingual children exhibited stronger parent-reported inhibition, shifting, and perspective-taking skills compared to their monolingual peers. These findings suggest that multilingualism may enhance certain EF components, which are often areas of difficulty for children with ASD.
The researchers propose that enhanced inhibition and shifting abilities might enable multilingual children to more effectively manage their own mental states and focus on others’ perspectives. This could potentially aid in perspective-taking, a skill typically challenging for individuals with ASD.
Despite these insights, the study acknowledges a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the relationships between multilingualism, EF, and core symptoms in children with ASD. Further research is necessary to explore these associations and determine whether multilingualism could be utilized in interventions aimed at improving EF and perspective-taking skills in children with ASD.
This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the cognitive impacts of multilingualism and its potential implications for supporting children with ASD.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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