The Development of Language-Learning Ability in Children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The article presents the results of teaching English to children on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The initial stage comprised a survey on the assumptions of parents and professionals concerning the abilities and interests of children with ASD. The survey was completed by 16 parents bringing up such children and 10 professionals working in this area. Both parents and teachers noted that among other things children with ASD demonstrated good language learning abilities. The second and third stages of the study involved individual work with primary school students, which consisted in diagnostic testing of their English skills and offering subsequent English classes. One of the prospects for further research is to train children with ASD for inclusion in language learning.