Implications for educational practice and policy

The disconnect between some educators’ belief that bilingualism is detrimental to autistic children’s development and the lack of evidence to suggest that it is (Lim et al., 2018; Uljarević et al., 2016) is problematic. On one hand, this disconnect implies that research in the area of bilingualism and autism needs to be more readily accessible and available to educational practitioners who are supporting bilingual autistic pupils and advising families about language choices. Raising awareness that it is possible for autistic individuals to be bilingual could result in more targeted classroom support and enable educational practitioners to provide research- informed advice to multilingual families with an autistic child. On the other hand, it would be

injudicious to ignore educators’ concerns about the challenges of bilingualism for autistic pupils. To this end, a clear recommendation to emerge from these findings is that sufficient time and support for home language maintenance should be given to children before any irrevocable language decisions are taken. In practice, this could mean that instead of offering one-off advice to families about the impact of bilingualism in autism, schools and practitioners could monitor the child’s language development over time and regularly discuss options with parents. In their accounts, practitioners noted that while it may take autistic children more time than their typically-developing peers, bilingualism is possible for many of them. While practitioners believed that monolingualism was a better choice for some children, such decisions should be taken in the context of ongoing discussions with their family and be re- evaluated periodically to ensure that children are not unfairly precluded from the opportunity to be bilingual.

In England, it was clear that more training on EAL is needed, which could be embedded into initial teacher education and continuing professional development. Practitioners should also be encouraged to recognise and reflect on their own linguistic and cultural experiences, assumptions and biases (Welterlin & LaRue, 2007), given that attitudes did fluctuate according to the linguistic profile of the school in which the educators worked and their own linguistic profiles. In Wales, a more systematic approach to supporting bilingual pupils with special educational needs is required, especially consideration of how specialist units within mainstream schools might best support students’ bilingualism when appropriate. In both England and Wales, practitioners also highlighted the need for more resources, support staff, and communication with families to support student’ linguistic development, both in the home language and the language of instruction.

These findings also indicate a strong need to simultaneously employ person-centred approaches to educational practices and to increase understanding and awareness of autism in schools. In the classroom, more time to process information is crucial, given particular challenges associated with autism and the time needed to acquire or maintain multiple languages. This could be practically achieved through reinforcement of instructions, multi- modal teaching approaches, and giving students opportunities to express themselves through different mediums, such as art. Whilst it is important to acknowledge and respond to the challenges faced by this group of learners, improving inclusion for bilingual autistic children

also involves facilitating opportunities for social interaction with peers and celebrating their strengths and differences.

4.10. Chapter summary and conclusions

This chapter sought to delineate and analyse the perspectives and experiences of educational practitioners supporting bilingual pupils on the autism spectrum. Reporting the accounts of thirteen educators, including teachers, teaching assistants, SENDCos, and a speech and language therapist, the chapter traces their beliefs about bilingualism in autism and how these beliefs translate into classroom practice. Like in chapter 3, practitioners’ experiences were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The first theme, ‘perspectives on bilingualism in autism’, showcased practitioners’ varying attitudes about the effects of bilingualism on autistic pupils and the unique challenges that accompany their education. Many felt that bilingualism was valuable in principle, but had concerns that its benefits carried less significance for their autistic pupils. To this end, the findings reflect the emerging disconnect in existing literature (Marinova-Todd et al., 2016; Yu, 2016) between linguistic attitudes and practices when bilingualism meets autism. The second theme, ‘comparisons across two linguistically different settings’, found that bilingual staff in Wales held more positive views about bilingualism than monolingual staff in England; however, both reported that children tended to choose English over their home language or Welsh when communicating with peers. Finally, the third theme, ‘creating inclusive learning environments’, underscored the barriers facing bilingual autistic children in educational settings and provided individual strategies and whole-school approaches aimed at supporting them.

The findings of this chapter suggest a need for greater awareness in schools that it is possible for autistic pupils from multilingual families to grow up bilingually, despite concerns expressed by educators. However, practitioners also need to be better supported in identifying additional needs in bilingual pupils and in adequately assessing bilingual autistic pupils. Strategies such as giving extra time to process information, reinforcing instructions, and recognising linguistic and neuro-diversity would help to ensure that children who are ‘doubly different’ from their peers not only have the requisite support in school, but have opportunities to harness and celebrate those differences. Crucially, monitoring a child’s language development over time and regularly re-evaluating the possibilities of bilingualism in conjunction with parents would safeguard against children missing out on the opportunity to be bilingual. In emphasising the importance of developing English proficiency, some

practitioners suggested that the home language was having a detrimental effect on the education of their autistic pupil(s). This poses serious questions and implications for multilingual families, who are faced with difficult choices about what language(s) to use with their child. The next chapter will bring this possible tension between the school and familial settings to the fore.

5. Autism and Bilingualism in the Family Setting