Bilingualism and second-order theory of mind development in autistic children over time: Longitudinal relations with language, executive functions, and intelligence.
Bilingual autistic kids grow second-order Theory of Mind faster—check language profiles before assuming social-cognitive delays.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team followed bilingual and monolingual autistic children for three years.
They checked second-order Theory of Mind at ages 9 and 12.
Kids also took tests for vocabulary, executive skills, and IQ.
What they found
Bilingual children passed more second-order false-belief tasks.
Their edge was tied to stronger expressive words and higher IQ scores.
Language and smarts, not executive functions, pushed the bilingual boost.
How this fits with other research
Peristeri et al. (2021) first showed the same bilingual advantage in a snap-shot study.
The new paper proves the edge lasts as kids grow.
Peristeri et al. (2021) also tested Greek-only autistic kids and saw flat ToM scores.
That looks like a clash, but the Greek sample was monolingual, so no bilingual lift could appear.
Storch et al. (2012) found that teens who pass second-order false-belief have fewer social problems; bilingualism may be one road to that skill.
Why it matters
Before you advise "English-only," check the child’s full language picture.
Strong vocabulary in either language predicts better perspective-taking.
Add bilingual norms to your ToM tests and celebrate dual-language homes as a social-cognitive asset.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Theory of Mind has long been studied as a core weakness in autism spectrum disorder due to its relationship with social reciprocity, while bilingualism has been shown to compensate for autistic individuals' mentalizing weaknesses. However, our knowledge of the Theory of Mind developmental trajectories of bilingual and monolingual autistic children, as well as of the factors related to Theory of Mind development in autism spectrum disorder is still limited. The current study has examined first- and second-order Theory of Mind skills in 21 monolingual and 21 bilingual autistic children longitudinally across three time points, specifically at ages 6, 9, and 12, and also investigated associations between Theory of Mind trajectories and trajectories of the children's language, intelligence and executive function skills. The results reveal that bilingual autistic children outperformed their monolingual peers in second-order Theory of Mind at ages 9 and 12, and that intelligence and, especially, expressive vocabulary skills played a pivotal role in advancing bilingual autistic children's second-order Theory of Mind development. On the other hand, monolingual autistic children only managed to capitalize on their language and intelligence resources at age 12. The findings highlight the importance of investigating bilingualism effects on autistic children's advanced cognitive abilities longitudinally.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2024 · doi:10.1002/aur.3214