Autism and bilingualism: A thematic analysis of practitioners' experiences
This project aimed to understand the experiences of practitioners who work with autistic bilingual children and their families. Here we focused on factors relating to bilingual family experiences, the knowledge base of practitioners regarding autism and bilingualism, and the influence of socio-cultural factors on practice and subsequent recommendations to parents. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 speech and language practitioners. Three themes were identified: (1) professionals’ experiences with parents (2) cultural factors in practice (3) views on autism and bilingualism. Investigation of these themes reveal that practitioners overwhelmingly advocate for maintaining a bilingual environment for autistic children, and recognise cultural and familial expectations as some of the most important considerations when working with autistic bilingual children. However, a dearth of culturally appropriate resources and uncertainties around providing the right advice to parents were identified as barriers to best practice. This highlights the need for culturally relevant resources for use with families, and for practitioners to be provided with opportunities to receive up-to-date and accessible research findings.