Autistic Spectrum Disorders and learning foreign languages

The number of young people with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) coming into mainstream foreign languages classes is increasing, and this is causing some concern to teachers. Based on her extensive professional experience, Vivienne Wire here considers the implications for teaching and learning of the 'triad of impairments' found in pupils with autism and discusses strategies for intervention. In addition, positive aspects of an autistic person's style of learning are suggested, which may help classroom relationships, pupil motivation and behavioural issues. It is hoped that the issues raised in this article will promote the importance to young people with autism of learning a foreign language and explain how issues of structure and organisation, which lie beyond the triad of impairments, are of equal significance in meeting the educational needs of children and young people with autism.