Linguistic Comparison — In looking at the differences in language skills between young children with autism spectrum disorders(ASD) who were monolingual (speaking only English) or who were bilingual (speaking both English and Spanish), Einstein researchers led by Dr. Maria Valicenti-McDermott found that the only difference in language skills was that bilingual children were more likely to vocalize and use gestures than were monolinguals. No differences were found between the two groups (40 bilingual and 40 monolingual) in terms of cognitive functioning, developmental level or autistic characteristics. Dr. Valicenti-McDermott and colleagues conclude that bilingualism does not seem to confer an extra vulnerability in those children with ASD who speak two languages. Their findings – from the first study to include bilingual English/Spanish-speaking children - were reported in the Journal of Child Neurology. Dr. Valicenti-McDermott is assistant professor of pediatrics and a staff member at Einstein’s Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center.
Posted on: Friday, July 13, 2012