An evaluation of English versus Spanish language choice during conversation training intervention for children with autism

In children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, social communication deficits are identified as core developmental impairments. The ability to carry on a conversation through verbal exchanges poses challenges for individuals on the spectrum. The impact of exposure to a multilingual and multicultural environment on children with ASD is unknown and few empirical studies have investigated possible effects. Linguistically and culturally diverse families and settings are complex topics of discussion when addressing the instructional needs of children, including those with special needs. Controversy in bilingual language development theory has continued for decades, with few solid answers resulting from these efforts. The current study is a first step in the process of understanding what, if any, effects multilingual upbringings have on the conversational abilities of children with autism. A multielement (alternating treatments) design was implemented to compare whether children's expressive language output substantially differed when the interventionist spoke either English or Spanish during conversation training based on the methodology of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). Naturalistic interventions, such as PRT, are evidence-based in their effectiveness for improving a wide range of behavioral and socio-communicative skills for children with ASD and were utilized in the current study to maintain a natural home setting for the children. The data suggest no difference across a variety of dependent variable for expressive language for the child participants. Further directions for research and implications of these findings are discussed.