70. English learning difficulties and language intervention pathways for students with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background Currently, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly suffer from social communication barriers and delayed language development. They face significant difficulties in learning English as a second language, including short vocabulary retention time, difficulty in understanding syntactic structures, and loss of pragmatic abilities. Traditional English teaching methods mainly rely on repetitive memory and mechanical exercises, which are difficult to meet the special cognitive and perceptual needs of ASD students. At present, there is a lack of systematic research on the English learning characteristics of ASD students in China, and evidence-based language intervention programs are not yet perfect. Therefore, this study analyzes the primary barriers to English learning among students with ASD and develops individualized intervention programs integrating multimodal input and social reinforcement strategies, thereby providing practical evidence for English teaching reform in special education. Methods The study enrolled 72 students aged 8–15 with autism spectrum disorder from a special education school. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 36) or a control group (n = 36). The control group received conventional English instruction supplemented by routine extracurricular activities, while the experimental group underwent an 18-week personalized multimodal language intervention. This intervention comprised visual schedules, social story instruction, digital gamified learning, and musical rhythm training. Assessments were conducted at three stages: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and a 2-month follow-up post-intervention. The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals—Preschool (CELF-P) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) were used for evaluation. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 teachers from the experimental group. Quantitative data were analyzed using mixed-effects model analysis of variance with SPSS 26.0, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis with Nvivo 12.0. Results There was no significant difference (p>.05) in CELF-P scores and SRS scores between the two groups before intervention. After intervention, the total score of CELF-P in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p< .01), especially in the dimensions of vocabulary comprehension and simple dialogue, which showed the most significant improvement; The social motivation dimension in SRS scores also showed significant improvement (p<.05). After 2 months of intervention, the language ability score of the experimental group remained superior, and the intervention effectiveness rate reached 75.0%, significantly higher than the control group's 30.6% (p<.001). Interview data indicates that structured teaching can reduce learning anxiety, enhance comprehension of multimodal input, and boost motivation for communication in social contexts. Among them, 83.3% of teachers observed a significant increase in students' classroom participation, 77.8% reported that students began to actively use English expression in daily situations, and 72.2% believed that intervention courses effectively reduced students' avoidance behavior. Discussion Multimodal English intervention for students with autism spectrum disorder can significantly improve their English language ability and social communication willingness, and the intervention effect has good sustainability. This intervention program has the characteristics of high individualization and strong teaching inclusiveness, and can serve as an effective supplement to special education English teaching. Subsequent research will further explore the optimal intervention strategies for ASD students with different cognitive levels, and establish a home-school collaborative support model.