Bilingual Autistic Adults Show Enhanced Ability to Recognize Complex Facial Expressions

What is it about?

In this study, we wanted to see whether the ability to speak two languages made a difference in how autistic and neurotypical adults looked at faces and recognized facial expressions. We found that the bilingual autistic adults did just as well at identifying complex facial expressions as monolingual and bilingual neurotypical adults, but monolingual autistic adults identified fewer facial expressions. Both second language abilities and English vocabulary knowledge were important for helping autistic adults identify facial expressions: the better their English vocabulary knowledge and the more bilingual skills autistic adults had, the better they identified facial expressions. Overall, the results suggest that second language experiences make it easier for autistic adults to identify complex facial expressions. On the other hand, for monolingual adults (both autistic and neurotypical), more time looking at faces seems to help figure out how someone is feeling, whereas spending a lot of time looking at faces seems less important for bilingual adults. Future research should explore these questions in “natural development,” as children are first learning how to be bilingual and take others’ perspectives.

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Photo by Tengyart on Unsplash

Photo by Tengyart on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research is important, because it adds to growing research showing the positives of being bilingual when autistic. This information is especially important for families who speak a language other than English, who are facing decisions about how best to support their autistic child’s language development. This information is also important for providers working with families, so they can encourage families to feel comfortable using their home language with their child.

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