Families of children with autism have long been advised to limit their children to one language,

thinking that learning multiple languages would overcomplicate the learning process. However,
this idea has no evidence. On the contrary, research has recently come out indicating that children
with autism could benefit or thrive from learning multiple languages.

Think about the opportunities that learning foreign languages offer to children with autism. By
learning different languages, children with autism acquire necessary conversational skills, improve
speech skills, improve their grammar, and learn about different societies. They learn how to
observe, role play, intonate, articulate, build their sentences, improve their vocabularies, and
finally they learn about different cultures and their expectations. Thus, children who have been
diagnosed with ASD can work on improving their abilities through learning foreign languages.

A study that took place in Montreal found that children with autism could improve their task
switching abilities by learning foreign languages. Having to switch between different languages,
sometimes unconsciously, improves cognitive flexibility. The study used a computer test. Children
with autism who were bilingual were able to perform better on task shifting abilities compared to
monolingual children. Thus, the results of this study are ground breaking in terms of how we look
and teach children with this condition.

Another group of studies has shown that children with autism are likely to benefit off of
multilingual language skills just like children without the condition. Their skills in a language are
also on par with children who have autism but only learned one language. They are also better at
using gestures.

Thus, learning foreign languages can help children who have autism develop in areas where they
struggle in.