Does Balance of Multilingual Exposure Impact Gesture Comprehension in Autistic Children?

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Linguistics
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

• Gesture comprehension is crucial for effective communication.
• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face communication challenges.
• The impact of multilingualism on ASD communication development requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between balance of multilingual exposure (BME) and gesture comprehension in children with ASD.
• To determine if varying levels of multilingual exposure affect the understanding of different gesture types (deictic, iconic, conventional).

Main Methods:

• Eighty-six children with ASD (aged 4-12) completed a gamified gesture comprehension task.
• Participants' BME was assessed via parental reports.
• Statistical analyses controlled for age, sex, socioeconomic status, autism severity, and cognitive abilities.

Main Results:

• Children with ASD performed above chance level in gesture comprehension.
• No significant effect of BME was found on the comprehension of deictic, iconic, or conventional gestures.
• Age and general language skills were significant positive predictors of gesture comprehension performance.

Conclusions:

• Multilingual exposure does not appear to be detrimental to gesture comprehension in children with ASD.
• This preliminary study supports the potential benefits of multilingualism for communicative development in ASD.
• Further research is warranted to explore the nuances of multilingualism and ASD communication.