# Speech language pathologists’ attitudes on bilingual practices for children with autism in India: A qualitative study

## TL;DR

This study explores speech language pathologists' views on bilingual practices for autistic children in India, highlighting varied opinions and challenges.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into SLPs' attitudes and barriers to bilingual practices for children with autism in a multilingual context.

## Key findings

- SLPs showed divergent attitudes towards bilingual practices for children with autism.
- Lack of culturally appropriate assessment tools and strategies for parental concerns were identified as barriers.
- The study emphasizes the need for guidelines and education on bilingual practices in multilingual settings.

## Abstract

The present study, aimed to investigate SLPs’ attitude regarding bilingual practices in children with autism. We conducted in-depth telephonic interviews on 13 SLPs working with autistic children in India having at least 2 years of work experience. The data obtained were subjected to stepwise inductive thematic analysis. Results of the study displayed five themes, viz. SLP’s opinion of monolingual vs. bilingual approaches in children with autism, Bilingual Practices for children with autism, Factors explaining the choice of language, Suggestions for parents of children with autism and future SLPs, and Need and scope for bilingual practice. Results of the study indicated SLP’s divergent attitude towards bilingual practices in children with autism, factors explaining the choice of language, such as lack of culturally appropriate assessment tools, and limited strategies for addressing parental concerns. These findings have implications to address awareness of evidence based bilingual practices in SLPs for children with ASD in multilingual settings, development of practice guidelines and standardized tests in underdeveloped languages. Furthermore, there is a need to educate and address concerns of parents and families of autistic children regarding bilingual approach.