Autism and Bilingualism: A Multimodal Analysis of Language Development and Unexpected Bilingualism in Three Case Studies

In recent years the intersection between autism and bilingualism has gained more interest across the academic discourse. Nonetheless, limited attention has been given to the Italian context and to the phenomenon of unexpected bilingualism, that is, the spontaneous emergence of a language not present in the child's social environment. This study examines how three autistic children from migratory backgrounds experience this intersection in Italy. Through a semi-structured interview and questionnaire, the study first investigates the linguistic practices and beliefs reported by the children's families. Second, it explores how each of the children uses their languages during semi-structured play interactions, specifically examining the distribution of pragmatic functions and lexical categories across languages. Third, it examines to what extent these children's profiles present features associated with unexpected bilingualism. By illustrating how these three children navigate their lives in a complex linguistic context, this work advocates for an approach that recognizes, respects, and supports the linguistic autonomy and preferences of autistic individuals.