Recent research by UCLA Health reveals that growing up in multilingual households can enhance cognitive abilities in children with and without autism, particularly in areas of executive function and social interaction.
The study, published in Autism Research, examined over 100 children aged 7-12 from both monolingual and multilingual households, with most multilingual families speaking English and Spanish at home.
"Speaking multiple languages, regardless of an autism diagnosis, improves inhibition, flexibility, and perspective taking ability," explains Dr. Lucina Uddin, UCLA Health Professor and lead researcher.
Parents evaluated their children's executive function skills across several key areas:
- Inhibition control (avoiding distractions)
- Working memory (short-term information retention)
- Task switching abilities
- Social communication
- Repetitive behavior patterns
The findings showed that multilingual children demonstrated superior performance in controlling impulses, switching between tasks, and understanding others' viewpoints. Dr. Uddin suggests this may stem from the mental exercise of juggling two languages, as children must actively suppress one language while using another.
While some parents of autistic children worry that multiple languages could delay development, the research found no negative impacts. Instead, multilingual exposure appeared to reduce certain autism-related symptoms while improving communication skills.
"We found no drawbacks to speaking multiple languages at home," notes Dr. Uddin. "Parents should feel confident embracing their cultural languages."
Building on these promising results, UCLA researchers are launching an expanded study involving 150 autistic children, incorporating additional cognitive testing and brain imaging to further understand the relationship between multilingualism and neurodevelopment.
This research adds valuable insights to the growing evidence supporting cognitive benefits of multilingual environments for all children, while specifically addressing concerns of families managing autism spectrum disorders.