A-97: Examining Linguistic Performance in English Language Learners With Dementia

Abstract

Objective: Bilingualism has been proposed as a significant factor in cognitive reserve, potentially delaying onset of dementia symptoms. Therefore, analyzing linguistic patterns of bilingual individuals with dementia may have clinical value. The extent of this bilingual advantage in long-term English Language Learners (ELL) residing in English-dominant environments for decades remains under-investigated. We compared age of diagnosis and linguistic fluency between ELLs and matched monolingual controls. Method/Data Selection: A memory clinic’s dementia patients (N=31) were evaluated using a case-control design, matching bilingual ELLs (n=15) with monolinguals (n=16) by education and diagnosis. Linguistic performance was assessed via native-language phonemic and semantic fluency. To standardize English (COWAT) and Spanish (NEURONORMA) versions, raw scores were converted to age- and education-adjusted scaled scores, using composite averages for Spanish tasks to allow cross-group executive function comparison. Results/Data Synthesis: Bilingual patients outperformed matched monolinguals on native-language phonemic fluency tasks (M= 9.42, SD= 3.19 vs. M= 7.56, SD = 2.00; p= .030, d= 0.70). No significant difference was found in semantic fluency (p= .896). While bilinguals were diagnosed an average of 1.37 years later than monolinguals, this difference did not reach statistical significance in the current sample (p= .276). Conclusions: These results suggest that bilingualism may act as a functional buffer, particularly for executive-linguistic processing. These preliminary findings highlight the need for culturally and linguistically sensitive diagnostic tools that account for the 'masking' effect of cognitive reserve in clinical settings. Furthermore, the potential trend toward delayed diagnosis underscores the real-world value of lifelong bilingualism in extending the period of functional independence.