Should Heritage Languages be Incorporated into Interventions for Bilingual Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders? A Systematic Review.

Should Heritage Languages be Incorporated into Interventions for Bilingual Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders? A Systematic Review. J Autism Dev Disord. 2018 Oct 27;: Authors: Lim N, O'Reilly MF, Sigafoos J, Ledbetter-Cho K, Lancioni GE Abstract Special education policies recognize the need for developing and preserving the heritage languages of individuals with disabilities. Yet there seems to be a disconnect between policy and practice. Should the heritage languages of bilingual individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders be incorporated into interventions? This review evaluated 18 studies that examined the effects of heritage language instruction on treatment outcomes for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Overall, results suggest a small effect favoring interventions delivered in the heritage language versus interventions delivered solely in the majority language. In general, studies were also found to be of high-quality according to What Works Clearinghouse Standards. Findings are discussed in terms of recommendations for future research and practice. PMID: 30368629 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: J Autism Dev Disord Source Type: research