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Background: Although being bilingual (knowing two or more languages) is becoming a more common experience globally, little is known about the combined experience of bilingualism and autism. Research currently available focuses on quantifying language and cognitive development, and the only two qualitative accounts of first-hand experiences are from either bilingual children or highly multilingual adults (with four languages or more), which may not represent the wider autistic bilingual population. All other accounts focus on parents or practitioners. This qualitative study reports the experiences of autistic bi- and multilingual adults, focusing on barriers and enablers to language learning and the reported benefits of bilingualism. Methods: Thirty-nine U.K.-based autistic bilingual adults (41% female, mean age = 33.2 years, range = 16-61) with knowledge of two to seven languages (mean = 3.6, standard deviation = 1.4) completed an online Demographic and Language Questionnaire, including three open-ended questions about the interplay between autism and bilingualism. A thematic analysis was conducted on the responses to these open-ended questions. Results: Participants perceived many opportunities and benefits brought by bilingualism, in terms of relationships, hobbies, mobility, employment, education, and cultural insight. Respondents reported social communication as being a major benefit of being bilingual, and discussed how bilingualism had broadened their mindset, while identifying factors that had enabled or challenged their language learning journey. Conclusions: This study builds upon the few reports available to highlight the experiences that are shared by autistic bilingual people regardless of the number of languages they know. It is the first study to report the perspectives of U.K.-based autistic bilingual adults who, in most cases, grew up in a bilingual environment. Accounts of the factors that can facilitate or hinder language learning will inform the development of strategies to better support autistic people. These findings have implications for bilingual families and practitioners supporting autistic bilingual people.
Why is this an important issue?: At least half the world's population is bilingual or lives in a bilingual environment. However, the experiences of autistic bilingual people are rarely represented or acknowledged. So far, research in this field has concentrated primarily on parent perspectives and on the effects of bilingualism for autistic children's skills. Only one study to date has focused on understanding the experiences of autistic bilingual adults themselves, but this research focused on multilinguals with four or more languages. It is essential to represent the whole autistic bi- or multilingual community, including those with two or three languages. What was the purpose of this study?: The study explored the experiences of autistic bilingual people, focusing on the perceived benefits of bilingualism; the shared experiences of autism, bilingualism, especially regarding identity; and the elements that make language learning easier or more difficult. What did the researchers do?: Thirty-nine autistic bilingual adults completed an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included quantitative questions about the participants' language profile, and open-ended questions about their experiences of being autistic and bilingual. The answers were analyzed and summarized using a method called thematic analysis. What were the results of the study?: Participants reported that being bilingual had shaped their ability to communicate socially; it had helped them to understand the perspectives of others, and better express themselves. Participants also identified many additional opportunities and benefits of bilingualism in terms of relationships, hobbies, mobility, employment, education, and cultural insight. They discussed how bilingualism had influenced their self-understanding in terms of increased awareness of their own skills, and it had contributed to a broadened mindset. Participants also listed several difficulties in becoming bilingual that they considered linked to being autistic. Participants highlighted several elements that had made their language learning easier or harder, including the learning environment, opportunities for practice, or specific language competencies. What do these findings add to what was already known?: Previous studies describing the experiences of autistic bilingual people only represented people with four or more languages, and most of these studies only involved one or two people. This study is more representative of the wider autistic bilingual population. It shows that autistic people benefit from bilingualism in their daily life, even when they know "only" two languages. It highlights that being bilingual is a part of autistic bilingual people's identity. It reports that different autistic people need different learning strategies to best learn additional languages. What are potential weaknesses in the study?: Participants answered our pre-set questions online, and our questions had very few prompts. As a result, it is possible that many topics were not mentioned. Future research should build upon the topics presented here to describe them more specifically. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?: There are still many barriers to equal access to additional language learning for autistic people. This study shows how valuable autistic people find bilingualism, and it supports autistic people's advocacy movement for equal rights and opportunities.
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Bilingualism is a valuable tool that enriches and facilitates cultural, social and lived experiences for autistic and non-autistic people alike. Research consistently finds no negative effects of bilingualism and highlights the potential for positive effects across cognitive and socio-cultural domains for autistic and non-autistic children. Yet parents of autistic children remain concerned that bilingualism will cause delays in both cognitive and language development and are still frequently advised by practitioners to raise their child monolingually. Evidently, findings from research are not reflected in practice or subsequent advice, and it is essential to identify ways to ensure equal access to additional language learning. We briefly summarise the existing literature on bilingualism and autism, considering perspectives from the bilingual autistic community, and experimental research. We identify the most pertinent barriers to participation for autistic bilingual children in terms of familial, clinical and educational perspectives. We propose novel solutions to promote additional language learning and suggest changes to practice that will contribute to an evidence base for families and practitioners. This commentary makes innovative recommendations at both the individual and societal level to ensure that autistic bilingual people have equal rights and opportunities to language learning and are optimally supported in accessing them.
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Background: The combined experience of autism and bilingualism is poorly understood, leading to poor support for autistic people in multilingual environments or those interested in languages. While most available studies focus on the language and cognitive profiles of autistic bilinguals, or on the experiences of parents, little is known about the lived experiences of autistic multilinguals. Methods: To address this question, this study examined the impact of autism and multilingualism on the lives of 54 autistic multilingual adults who completed an online survey assessing the profiles of autistic bi- and multilinguals. We conducted a thematic analysis of responses to the survey's open-ended questions to explore motivations for learning languages and the perceived benefits of being both autistic and multilingual. Results: There was a wide range of language profiles in the sample, with various levels of proficiency, ages of acquisition, and learning environments. Respondents felt that being autistic can both positively and negatively influence language learning. They reported various motivating factors for the acquisition of multiple languages, including social aspects and a predisposition for language learning. Respondents reported many benefits of multilingualism, such as educational, employment, or leisure opportunities; social skills and understanding of other people; self-confidence in their own abilities; and relationships with family, friends, and the worldwide autistic community. Conclusions: Unlike previous work with autistic multilinguals involving case studies, the larger sample involved here offers valuable insight into the profiles and experiences of this overlooked population. Importantly, autistic people can experience numerous benefits from multilingualism. These findings will have implications for language education practices as well as for multilingual families and the practitioners who support them. Lay summary: Why was this study done?: We wanted to understand what it feels like to be both autistic and multilingual, in a world where it is often assumed that both cannot go together. The combined experience of autism and bilingualism is poorly understood. This leads to poor support for autistic people in bilingual environments or for those interested in languages. Most studies available focus on the language and mental abilities of autistic bilinguals, or on the experiences of parents. However, very few studies focus on the lived experiences of autistic multilinguals themselves.What was the purpose of this study?: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of autistic multilingual adults. We focused on their learning motivations and the perceived benefits of being autistic and multilingual.What did the researchers do?: Fifty-four autistic multilingual adults completed an online questionnaire designed for autistic bi- and multilinguals. The questionnaire included questions about the respondents' language history and language profiles. There were also open-ended questions about the respondents' motivations for learning languages, and their general experience of being both autistic and multilingual. We analyzed and summarized the responses to these open-ended questions to understand the experience of autistic multilingual adults.What were the results of the study?: Our sample had a diverse range of language profiles and experiences. Respondents thought that autism could be both an advantage and a disadvantage for language learning. They reported a range of motivations for language learning, including a predisposition for language learning. They considered relationships as both a motivation to learn languages and a benefit of multilingualism. Respondents thought that being multilingual had brought them many opportunities for leisure, travels, education, and employment. They considered that being multilingual had improved their self-confidence. They also thought that being multilingual had increased their awareness and understanding of autism, allowing them to connect with the wider autistic population.What do these findings add to what was already known?: Previous research with autistic multilinguals involved only one or two participants. The larger group of autistic multilinguals involved in this study offers valuable insight into the lived experiences of this overlooked population.What are potential weaknesses in the study?: The online questionnaire was not originally designed to collect in-depth data on lived experiences. This means that the questions included very few prompts: respondents were able to discuss the aspects of their experience that were the most important to them. The absence of specific topics in the results does not mean that they are not experienced, but simply that the participants did not spontaneously mention them. Future research should build upon our findings and focus on specific topics, such as learning environments or opportunities.How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?: These findings will help autistic adults by highlighting the diversity and richness of their language profiles, abilities, and experiences. This will prompt families, educators, and practitioners to better support and include autistic people in multilingual environments or those interested in languages.
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LAY ABSTRACT: Bilingualism changes the way people relate to others. This is particularly interesting in the case of autism, where social interaction presents many challenges. A better understanding of the overlap between the social variations of bilingualism and autism could unveil new ways to support the social experiences of autistic people. This research aims to understand the language learning and social experiences of autistic people who speak one, two or more languages. A total of 297 autistic adults (aged between 16 and 80 years) completed an online questionnaire that included general demographic questions, social life quality self-rating questions, language history questions, and open questions about the respondents' bilingualism experience. Respondents had a wide range of language experiences: there were 89 monolingual English speakers, 98 bilinguals, 110 respondents knew three languages or more, all with a wide range of abilities in their languages. In the full group, younger respondents were more satisfied with their social life, and respondents with many languages were more satisfied with their social life than respondents with few languages. In the multilingual group, younger respondents were more satisfied with their social life, and the more skilled in their third language the more satisfied with their social life. This is the first study describing the language history and social experiences of a large group of bilingual and multilingual autistic adults. It highlights how autistic people can encounter a new language, learn it and use it in their daily life, and how their bilingualism experiences shape their social life.