Using Instructive Feedback to Expand Second Language of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Misconceptions exist regarding bilingualism and language development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Caregivers may avoid heritage language use due to unfounded fears of language delays.
• Research is needed to clarify the impact of second language acquisition on communication skills in children with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of teaching Spanish conditional discriminations to children with ASD.
• To assess the impact of instructive feedback in English on language acquisition.
• To determine if second language instruction affects primary, secondary, and emergent language targets.

Main Methods:

• Direct teaching of Spanish auditory-visual conditional discriminations.
• Utilized instructive feedback in English during the intervention.
• Assessed acquisition of Spanish and English tacts (i.e., naming objects).

Main Results:

• All participants achieved mastery of the primary language targets.
• The inclusion of instructive feedback facilitated the acquisition of English auditory-visual conditional discriminations.
• The study demonstrated that children with ASD can acquire a second language.

Conclusions:

• Teaching a second language to children with ASD does not impede language acquisition.
• Bilingual instruction can be beneficial for enhancing communication skills in children with ASD.
• Instructive feedback is an effective component in language learning for this population.