Multilingualism to reduce certain signs of autism?

Bilingualism, a key to improving the cognitive functions of children with autism? This is what a new study from UCLA Healthpublished in the journal Autism Research, in November 2024. Speaking several languages ​​would also reduce certain signs of this neurodevelopmental disorder, which is characterized by difficulties in social interactions and communication, as well as by behaviors and interests of a restricted, repetitive and stereotypical nature. Around 700,000 French people, including 100,000 under the age of 20, are affected.

Parents assess inhibition, memory, repetitive behaviors…

Initially conducted at the University of Miami, the study recruited 100 autistic and “able-bodied” children, ages 7 to 12, from monolingual and multilingual households, who spoke primarily Spanish and English at home. Parents or guardians were asked to rate the “executive functions” of their child, often affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASD), such as inhibition (the ability to suppress irrelevant activity or distract oneself), working memory (keeping something in mind, such as remembering a phone number) and switching between tasks, such as playing with toys and then cleaning up.

Parents also completed the following assessments: the Children’s Empathy Quotient (EQ-C), designed to assess perspective-taking skills, the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) as well as the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised ( RBS-R).

Strengthened abilities, particularly in autistic children

Verdict : “Multilingualism is associated with better inhibition, switching and perspective-taking skills,” especially in children with autism. “If you’re juggling two languages, you have to drop one in order to use the other. This practice strengthens mental control »explains Lucina Q. Uddin, one of the lead authors of the study. According to her, speaking several languages ​​has also improved communication and reduced certain repetitive behaviors. To summarize, these young people manage to better manage their thoughts, be more empathetic and adapt their behavior depending on the situation. “These results are the first to our knowledge to demonstrate potential cascading links between multilingual experience, EF (editor’s note: executive function abilities) and basic symptoms of ASD”, indicate the researchers.

No negative effects of speaking several languages!

This study thus makes it possible to break down preconceived ideas (Autism: can being bilingual make things more complicated?). “Parents are often concerned that multilingual experiences may contribute to further delays in the cognitive and language development of their child with ASD. observe the scientists. After diagnosis, multilingual children experience a rapid reduction in the input of their native language, although its use persists in adult-adult and adult-sibling interactions. » “We see no negative effects of speaking several languages ​​at home, insists Lucina Q. Uddin. It’s actually beneficial to celebrate all the languages ​​associated with your culture. »

A future study in perspective

However, “generalization of the current study’s findings should be approached with caution, particularly because the data primarily reflect the experiences of families in Miami, a bilingual city where 75.1% of the population speaks a language other than English at home. home, mostly Spanish”, admit the researchers, who now wish to expand the study. The next one will analyze about 150 autistic children and include more tests of executive function and language as well as brain imaging.

© Stocklib / Wavebreak Media Ltd