Children with autism in Maltese-speaking families acquiring English as a first language : parents’ perspectives

Abstract

It has been observed that children on the autism spectrum in Maltese speaking families acquire English as their first language. This study explores the parents’ perspectives on this phenomenon. Six parents of four to five-year-old children on the spectrum, who make use of at least two-word sentences, responded to semi-structured interviews on the children’s language development. The first language used at home was Maltese, while the children used English to communicate during everyday life. A reflexive thematic analysis of the interviews identified four main themes. Firstly, the children struggled with language and communication development, showing the expected delayed and deviant communication development associated with autism. Secondly, the children were attracted to the language in the media, which was mostly in English, and included musical elements and repetitions which led the children to pick up their first words and phrases from media. Thirdly, the use of these English words and phrases were then reinforced by many individuals surrounding the child. Finally, the child’s preference for English was recognised as their best mode of communication and accepted by all stakeholders. This study is particularly valuable since it is the first research study that addresses this phenomenon in the development of language in children on the autism spectrum in Malta. It also enhances the general understanding of language acquisition in children on the spectrum where the language spoken by the community is not the main language available in the media.