The Importance of Bilingualism for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
By Natacha Mally and Catherine Pham
The opportunity to learn a second language has become an integral part of students’ academic experiences. In the United States, it is common for students to take second language classes during high school and/or college. Unfortunately, however, individuals with intellectual disabilities are often not given the opportunity to learn a second language [1]. Relatedly, parents of children with intellectual disabilities raised in bilingual households are often advised against speaking to their child in the non-dominant language since it is often assumed that limiting their child’s linguistic knowledge to one language is best for language development. Consequently, individuals with intellectual disabilities have not been afforded the same opportunities to expand their linguistic repertoires as their peers, thus limiting their access to the benefits associated with bilingualism, such as the ability to connect with both immediate and extended family, their community, and their cultural heritage as well as other cultures.
Defining intellectual disabilities
About 6.5 million people in the United States are categorized as having an intellectual disability [2]. According to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the term intellectual disability is used to describe individuals who experience difficulties learning skills that are essential to everyday life. Individuals with an intellectual disability exhibit limitations in intellectual and adaptive functioning that interfere with daily life activities, in the conceptual (e.g., language), social (e.g., communication skills), and practical (e.g., self-care skills) domains [3]. To receive a diagnosis of intellectual disability, these impairments must emerge before a child reaches the age of 18.
The benefits of bilingualism for individuals with intellectual disabilities
Being bilingual can significantly enrich an individual’s life, and this is true for individuals both with and without intellectual disabilities. Unfortunately, despite the potential benefits, parents of children with an intellectual disability are often discouraged from exposing their child to more than one language [4, 5, 6, 7]. This could be due to a misconception held by some professionals that children with intellectual disabilities will be confused or overwhelmed if they learn more than one language [6, 7, 8]. In multilingual families where a second language is regularly used, depriving a child of the second language can lead them to feel isolated. Additionally, children with intellectual disabilities may be excluded from language classes that are required for other children in educational contexts, leading to further isolation and missed learning opportunities.
Despite these common practices, research has demonstrated that learning a second language does not negatively impact individuals with intellectual disabilities [4, 5, 8]. There is also emerging evidence that individuals with intellectual disabilities can greatly benefit from exposure to more than one language. This is particularly true when a child’s heritage language is used to support them in a second language majority setting. According to some studies, children with intellectual disabilities who receive intervention in school in their heritage language have better outcomes than those who only receive intervention in the majority language [6, 9].
How can teachers help individuals with intellectual disabilities learn a second language?
Students with intellectual disabilities who receive reinforcers (whether tangible or social) perform better academically than students who do not receive such reinforcers [10]. Extra praise that is genuine, high fives, and happy facial expressions provide instant rewards, motivating students and strengthening their bonds with instructors. Depending on the severity of the intellectual disabilities, some educators may also benefit from including a token rewards system. Memory is part of the conceptual domain that can be impaired in individuals with intellectual disabilities [3]. For this reason, when developing teaching materials, it is critical to consider both explicit and implicit types of instruction. Explicit learning places a high demand on working memory, which may be too taxing, whereas implicit learning does not take away from the central attentional resources [11]. However, this does not mean that explicit instructional strategies should be avoided. For example, if the goal is to teach students new vocabulary words, this could be accomplished by presenting the words and their definition to the students. This is helpful because it makes clear to students what the learning goal is. An implicit strategy might be to present students with new vocabulary words in the context of a story, which can help them to make their own connections about what the words mean. While this does not make the learning goals explicit, it may be less taxing on working memory than explicit learning.
Research shows that game- and video-based instruction can also improve classroom learning and motivation [12, 13, 14, 15]. Earning badges, leaderboards, competition, checkpoints and levels, avatars, and experience points are all examples of gaming elements that have made their way into classrooms. Gamification can also help with differentiation [12]. Students do not learn at the same rate and have different learning styles. These traditional issues are amplified in an inclusive world language classroom. Students with intellectual disabilities may struggle with fine motor skills and may be unable to read or write. Using instructional materials that include visual and auditory elements and have easily selectable answers to questions can help circumvent these types of issues.
Where do we go from here?
While much research is still needed on language learning and intellectual disability, one thing is clear: Individuals with intellectual disabilities can benefit from learning multiple languages, and they should not be deprived of the opportunity to do so. One very important reason to provide these opportunities is to foster feelings of inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities, who may often feel excluded and isolated from their peers and even their families. Programs such as Penn State’s WorkLink, which helps integrate individuals with intellectual disabilities into campus classes and activities with their peers, can help in working toward this goal. Check out our interview with WorkLink co-director Dr. Wendy Coduti to learn more!
References
- Wight, M. C. S. (2015). Students With Learning Disabilities in the Foreign Language Learning Environment and the Practice of Exemption. Foreign Language Annals, 48(1), 39–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12122
- Peacock, G., Havercamp, S., Weintraub, L., & Shriver, T. (2019, November 19). Addressing Gaps in Health Care for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. https://www.cdc.gov/grand-rounds/pp/2019/20191015-intellectual-disabilities.html
- What is Intellectual Disability? (n.d.). American Psychiatric Association. Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://psychiatry.org:443/patients-families/intellectual-disability/what-is-intellectual-disability
- Kay-Raining Bird, E., Cleave, P., Trudeau, N., Thordardottir, E., Sutton, A., & Thorpe, A. (2005). The Language Abilities of Bilingual Children With Down Syndrome. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 14(3), 187–199. https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2005/019)
- Edgin, J. O., Kumar, A., Spanò, G., & Nadel, L. (2011). Neuropsychological effects of second language exposure in Down syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(3), 351–356. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01362.x
- Ware, J., Lye, C. B., & Kyffin, F. (2015). Bilingualism and students (learners) with intellectual disability: A review. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 12(3), 220–231. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12124
- Toppelberg, C.O., Snow, C.E., & Tager-Flusberg, H. (1999). Severe developmental disorders and bilingualism. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(9), 1197–1199. doi: 10.1097/00004583-199909000-00027
- Uljarevic, M., Katsos, N., Hudry, K., & Gibson, J.L. (2016). Practitioner Review: Multilingualism and neurodevelopmental disorders – an overview of recent research and discussion of clinical implications. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(11), 1205–1217. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12596
- Lim, N., O’Reilly, M. F., Sigafoos, J., Ledbetter-Cho, K., & Lancioni, G. E. (2019). Should Heritage Languages be Incorporated into Interventions for Bilingual Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders? A Systematic Review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(3), 887–912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3790-8
- Adibsereshki, N., Abkenar, S. J., Ashoori, M., Mirzamani, M. (2015). The effectiveness of using reinforcements in the classroom on the academic achievement of students with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 19(1), 83–93. doi: 10.1177/1744629514559313
- Ellis, R. (2009). Implicit and explicit learning, knowledge and instruction. In D. Singleton (Ed.), Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing and teaching (pp. 3–25). Tonawanda, NY: Multilingual Matters.
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