Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with marked heterogeneity in executive function (EF) abilities. The concept of ‘bilingual advantage’ suggests individuals fluent in two languages develop cognitive advantages, particularly within the EF domain. Current research has produced mixed results with some studies reporting a bilingual advantage and others failing to replicate. Bilingualism in children with ASD is understudied, as clinical practitioners often advise against teaching two languages to these children. However, emerging studies suggest that bilingualism may ameliorate EF difficulties in children with ASD. Here, we examined the impact of bilingual exposure on parent-reported EF abilities of Inhibit, Shift and Emotional Control as well as core ASD traits of perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behavior continuously in monolingual and bilingual children with and without ASD. Results suggest that bilingualism may work as a protective factor supporting inhibition, emotional control, and perspective taking skills in children with ASD. Notably, we also found indirect effects of bilingualism on perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behaviors mediated by EF skills. These results are the first to our knowledge to demonstrate the cascading supportive influences bilingual experience can have on reducing ASD related symptoms.