Research Library

Community organizations:

• Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative
• Edmonton Public Schools
• Edmonton Catholic Schools
• Centre for Autism Services Alberta

Integration timeline: not defined

Key findings:

• Parents of children with ASD were often advised to use only or more English with their child, by friends as well as professionals.
• Children with ASD started to learn English at a younger age than the children with typical development and had much more exposure to English through preschool attendance and ASD intervention.
• Children with ASD heard and spoke more English, and less of their heritage language, at home than the children with typical development.
• Regarding English abilities, the high verbal children with ASD had similar abilities to the children with typical development.
• In contrast, the high verbal children with ASD had lower abilities in their heritage language than the children with typical development.

Key populations: Children with ASD and typically developing children from newcomer families

Key recommendations:

• Encourage bilingual language practice in young children with ASD.
• Increase awareness of bilingual newcomer children with ASD and their capacities.
• Tailor ASD interventions to include heritage languages and cultural relevancy.
• Develop greater supports for children with ASD to learn and retain their heritage language, as the majority of their ASD interventions are in English.

Open access: Yes

Future research / gaps identified: n/a

Location: Edmonton, AB