Evaluating Tact Instruction in Two Languages for Bilingual Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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| Title: | Evaluating Tact Instruction in Two Languages for Bilingual Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Xuehua Zhao (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. 2026 59(2). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 25 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Bilingual Students, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Language Usage, Monolingualism, Language of Instruction, Instructional Effectiveness, Children, Verbal Operant Conditioning |
| DOI: | 10.1002/jaba.70058 |
| ISSN: | 0021-8855 1938-3703 |
| Abstract: | Bilingual individuals can acquire two languages simultaneously or sequentially. Study 1 examined the effects of simultaneous instruction (introducing tacts in both languages at the same time) and sequential instruction (introducing tacts in English, followed by a second language after mastery) with four children with autism. Both instructional procedures were effective, but simultaneous instruction promoted better conditional discriminations between the two languages than sequential instruction. Study 2 compared monolingual with bilingual (sequential) instruction with three participants. Teaching tacts in a single language was substantially more efficient than teaching tacts in two languages for all participants. As in Study 1, participants required additional simultaneous teaching after mastering sequentially taught targets to establish conditional discriminations, whereas monolingual instruction required no additional teaching. These results indicate that monolingual instruction is more efficient than sequential bilingual instruction, although sequential bilingual teaching can still be effective. The findings have important implications for designing bilingual instruction. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1503332 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Bilingual individuals can acquire two languages simultaneously or sequentially. Study 1 examined the effects of simultaneous instruction (introducing tacts in both languages at the same time) and sequential instruction (introducing tacts in English, followed by a second language after mastery) with four children with autism. Both instructional procedures were effective, but simultaneous instruction promoted better conditional discriminations between the two languages than sequential instruction. Study 2 compared monolingual with bilingual (sequential) instruction with three participants. Teaching tacts in a single language was substantially more efficient than teaching tacts in two languages for all participants. As in Study 1, participants required additional simultaneous teaching after mastering sequentially taught targets to establish conditional discriminations, whereas monolingual instruction required no additional teaching. These results indicate that monolingual instruction is more efficient than sequential bilingual instruction, although sequential bilingual teaching can still be effective. The findings have important implications for designing bilingual instruction. |
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| ISSN: | 0021-8855 1938-3703 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/jaba.70058 |
