Adults with Autism Discuss Their Experience of Foreign Language Learning: An Exploration of the “Different Strategies” Hypothesis

Little is known about how persons with autism spectrum conditions acquire foreign languages. To augment the literature with the experiences of autistic persons, trained raters coded discussion forum posts for categories such as method of learning, number of languages mentioned, and outcomes of learnings. Compared to forum posts on non-autism websites, posts on autism forums were more likely to report reading and writing as strengths and listening/speaking as deficits. Autistic posters more often reported intrinsic motivation for learning, being a polyglot, and having a special interest in learning language; they were also less likely to report attaining fluency. These reported experiences provide a foundation for future quantitative research.