Resumen de The impact of bilingualism, culture and first language on social outcomes of children with autism spectrum disorder in robot-assisted autism therapy

Aida Amir, Zhansaule Telisheva, Aida Tungatarova, Nazerke Rakhymbayeva, Anara Sandygulova

• Bilingualism is a widespread linguistic phenomenon globally, and Kazakhstan is no exception. The interplay between bilingualism and autism is an emerging area of research being explored far and wide. The current study examines the socio-emotional outcomes of 34 monolingual and bilingual children with Autism SpectrumDisorder (ASD), aged 3 to 12 years, in the context of robot-assisted autism therapy (RAAT). The children participated in an average of five sessions with the NAO robot in a rehabilitation center. The findings reveal that bilingual children demonstrated socio-emotional outcomes and engagement levels comparable to their monolingual peers. However, monolingual children exhibited significantly higher levels of positive affect, as indicated by more frequent smiling, challenging the notion of bilingual advantage in this context. Additionally, ethnicity did not moderate the children’s engagement with the social robot, indicating no significant cultural differences based on ethnic background. Notably, some differences in social outcomes were observed based on the children’s first language (L1). These findings highlight the influence of local linguistic and cultural realities on socio-emotional outcomes in RAAT. The study provides valuable insights into the relationship between language, autism, and robot-assisted therapy, with implications for future research and therapeutic practices.