Bilingualism Doesn't Hinder Language
Growing up bilingual doesn’t impair language skills in children with autism, according to two studies in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.For the first half of the 20th century, many scientists believed that learning more than one language impairs a child's cognitive development. That idea has been debunked in the past few decades, but for children with autism, some clinicians still recommend learning only one language.The two new studies, the first to rigorously investigate this issue, challenge that idea.The first, published 22 September, studied 75 children with autism, between 3 and 6 years of age, separated into three groups: 30 who were monolingual, 24 who were exposed to a second language before 12 months of age, and 21 who were exposed to a second language after 12 months of age.Read more at...SFARI, November 2011.