Swedish or English? – Language Preference and Linguistic Skills of High-Functioning Students within Autism Spectrum Disorder

Much research to date has focused on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) students’ acquisition of their native language (L1), as ASD is linked to language development impairments. The learning of a second language (L2) by ASD students has been studied to a much lesser extent.

Yet, three student theses point to a surprising hypothesis: High-functioning ASD students might prefer to speak their L2 and feel more competent and at ease in their L2 than in their L1.This project sets out to systematically investigate this hypothesis at a large scale.

High-functioning ASD and non-ASD students’ speech production in their two languages (L1: Swedish; L2: English) is compared in two different contexts – elicited narratives as well as natural interactions during a live-action role play.

This is supplemented with surveys and interviews of high-functioning ASD students and their parents and teachers, who thereby provide personal experiences and perceptions of high ecological validity.

The resulting data allow to assess students’ proficiency and ease of speaking in each language, gauge their language preference, and consider the findings’ potential reasons.If the hypothesis were confirmed, this could have substantial personal and educational implications for highfunctioning ASD students and their parents and teachers, possibly triggering a rethinking of strategies for effective communication.

The project has the potential to improve quality of life and to lead to better education outcomes.