Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) use a variety of modalities other than spoken language to communicate. These modes of communication may include vocalizations, gestures, augmentative & alternative communication (AAC) devices, and/or facial expressions. Minimally speaking, autistic children have been largely overlooked in clinical research, especially those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Research including bilingual children is pivotal to providing clinicians with a more inclusive understanding of communication in autistic children. 

I plan to focus on two children ages 4-6 from a larger study (Autism, Bilingualism, and Communication in Familias Latinas). Both children are exposed to English and Spanish and have a formal diagnosis of ASD. One is minimally speaking, while the other demonstrates emerging spoken language skills. Both participated in a pilot study and returned for another session a year later. During the sessions, the examiner conducts a bilingual version of the ELSA (Eliciting Language Samples for Analysis) protocol, a play-based method of interacting with a child that encourages expressive communication (Barokova et al., 2021). Sessions will be analyzed using ELAN, which allows researchers to segment communicative actions, transcribe them, and categorize their modality and language (if applicable). 

Through an in-depth exploration of the communication skills of these two children over time, I hope to identify changes in the modalities they use in response to English and Spanish input, as well as how quickly they do so. I will also highlight clinical implications, emphasizing the importance of considering all forms of communication during client assessment and intervention.