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Updated: Oct 12, 2025

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
Published on: October 3, 2018
Dual Language Learning Predicts Improved Executive Functioning in Youth with Autism
Allison B Ratto1, Gabrielle Reimann2, Nicole Nadwodny3
1Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology, Children's National Hospital, 15245 Shady Grove Rd., Suite 350, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA. aratto@childrensnational.org.
Abstract:
Previous findings show executive functioning advantages associated with dual language learning (DLL) among neurotypical individuals, yet few studies have investigated these effects in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study investigated effects of DLL and socioeconomic status (SES) on parent-reported executive functioning, verbal ability, and social-emotional functioning using a sample of DLL (n = 53) and monolingual (n = 106) youth with ASD without intellectual disability, matched on gender and full-scale IQ scores. After controlling for the effects of SES, results showed that monolingual youth had better outcomes on verbal ability, while DLL youth had fewer parent-reported problems with executive functioning and unusual behaviors. These findings indicate that bilingualism may mitigate executive functioning deficits in youth with ASD.
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