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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with marked heterogeneity in executive function (EF) abilities. EF components including inhibition and shifting are related to ASD core symptoms such as perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behavior. Recent research suggests that multilingualism may have a beneficial impact on EF abilities, especially in children with ASD. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the relationships between multilingualism, EF, and core symptoms in children with ASD. Here, we examined these associations in 7–12‐year‐old children with and without ASD (N = 116; 53 ASD, Mean age = 9.94 years). Results suggest that multilingual children have stronger parent‐reported inhibition, shifting, and perspective‐taking skills than monolingual children. Furthermore, we found a significant interaction between diagnosis and multilingual status on inhibition, such that the effects of multilingualism were stronger for children with ASD than typically developing (TD) children. Finally, we found indirect effects of multilingualism on perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behaviors mediated by EF skills. These results demonstrate the supportive influences multilingual experience might have on bolstering EF and reducing ASD‐related symptoms. Lay Summary: The bilingual advantage is the proposal that being fluent in two or more languages can result in cognitive benefits, particularly in the realm of executive function (EF)—skills important for planning, organizing, and completing tasks. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often struggle with EF skills, and EF difficulties are tied to core ASD symptoms such as difficulties with perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behavior. We explored the connections between multilingualism, EF skills (inhibition and shifting), and core symptoms of ASD (perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behavior). Our findings indicate that multilingualism is associated with stronger inhibition, shifting, and perspective‐taking skills in children with and without ASD. Additionally, multilingual children exhibited reduced core symptoms of ASD relative to monolingual children. Understanding these relationships can contribute to developing effective interventions and support strategies for children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with marked heterogeneity in executive function (EF) abilities. EF components including inhibition and shifting are related to ASD core symptoms such as perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behavior. Recent research suggests that multilingualism may have a beneficial impact on EF abilities, especially in children with ASD. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the relationships between multilingualism, EF, and core symptoms in children with ASD. Here, we examined these associations in 7-12-year-old children with and without ASD (N = 116; 53 ASD, Mean age = 9.94 years). Results suggest that multilingual children have stronger parent-reported inhibition, shifting, and perspective-taking skills than monolingual children. Furthermore, we found a significant interaction between diagnosis and multilingual status on inhibition, such that the effects of multilingualism were stronger for children with ASD than typically developing (TD) children. Finally, we found indirect effects of multilingualism on perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behaviors mediated by EF skills. These results demonstrate the supportive influences multilingual experience might have on bolstering EF and reducing ASD-related symptoms., (© 2024 The Author(s). Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)