Why are autistic children from multilingual families still told to speak only English at home?

Imagine being told the best way to help your autistic child is to stop speaking the language that connects you to your family, your history, and your community. That's the reality for many multilingual families, even though research clearly shows that speaking two or more languages does not slow down an autistic child's language development. This advice, based on old and harmful myths, creates a painful gap between families and the care they receive. It severs the natural flow of culture between generations and makes it harder for parents and children to communicate deeply. The problem is rooted in outdated ideas that wrongly linked bilingualism with cognitive problems, and these ideas have become embedded in autism services. These practices are shaped by racism and ableism—the belief that speaking only English and behaving in 'neurotypical' ways is the superior standard. Because research on autism interventions has systematically excluded non-English speakers, the evidence base itself reinforces this monolingual approach. The authors argue this is a refusal to change systems that treat English as the default. True, supportive autism care must be culturally sustaining. It should promote 'additive bilingual' environments where a child's heritage language is seen as a strength, not a problem. Language is how children access family stories, spiritual practices, and a true sense of belonging. Shifting to this model requires humility from clinicians and research focused on how to best honor and protect heritage language use at home.