Code-Switching as a Communicative Resource Within Routine, Bilingual Family Interactions for a Child on the Autism Spectrum

Abstract

In today's global society, bilingualism is increasingly regarded as an asset. Bilingual competencies have been associated, for example, with cognitive benefits, increased ethnolinguistic pride, and access to more expansive sociocultural experiences. Currently, there is a convergence of research findings showing that bilingual children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) perform comparably to monolingual children with ASD across measures of social-interactional, linguistic, and cognitive performance. In other words, bilingualism has not been shown to put children with ASD at a disadvantage. We have not yet, however, begun to examine bilingualism as a benefit for children with ASD. We currently have no information on how bilingual abilities are displayed by children with ASD and how the children draw on those competencies to navigate the demands of bilingual social interactions. This study is a conversation analysis (CA) of the code-switching behaviors of a bilingual child on the autism spectrum as he engaged in routine interactions with family members. The findings reveal that code-switching was used by this child strategically and systematically as a unique pragmatic resource.