better in second language

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I'm not sure whether or not this was observed in the context of the study, but I think it might be a cultural thing as well?

When learning a second language, you usually get explanations of *how* things are done -- often in contrast or comparison to the respective L1. For instance, most people who've had ESL classes were probably taught at one point that the answer to "how do you do?" is not, in fact, an account of your day or mood, but simply "how do you do?", and that the answer people expect to hear when asking "how are you?" is "fine, how are you?". That's contextual information that many people with neurological difficulties or developmental delay lack in their L1 because it's implicit, but L2 teachers often do (and should!) note when things are done in a specific way.

Yeah, I'm better in my second language as well.

I believe if I had more chances of speaking English, I would be better at it than at my first language. When I am abroad for a while, I find it quite difficult to go back to my native language, but I think that has to do with the fact that I spent a lot of time abroad as a child and still do nowadays. My understanding of English and my first language is pretty much the same.

Dutch is my first language, but I often think in English, and I sometimes have to translate from English to remember an expression in Dutch I also read in English more than I do in Dutch.

I dont know if its comparable, but as high IQ autistic, I did not have specific language delays, but for me I think learning by reading and writing, was far more important then learning by hearing. So I live in a very rural place and my dad was a simple busdriver and had friends with comparable working class background, so in comparison to the other kids I was supposed to learn german with the local rural accent. I learned reading pretty early, and linked far more to the written language of books, then to that of my surrounding. So I often got asked, why I would speak standard german, instead of the local accent, but for me it was simply the normal german. While if I wanted to talk with accent, I would have to do so artificially on purpose, concentrating on it and still doing failures, which seemed weird for people, because around my social peer noone was talking standard german. So normally I should have learned the local accent far more easy because of everyone around me interacting socially that way, and instead should have needed to concentrate to speak standard german that I "only" used when reading.

^^You can be in the gifted range and still have language delay.

I know, but because of both being possible, and we are talking about language, I specified which of the possible options, actually occured on me. So while having no relevant speech delay, in the form that anyone mentioned I would learn speech more bad then others, still the written form that I started to learn later, had more impact on me, then the spoken form that surrounded me. So my guess is, that learning languages might be for some Aspergers/Autists simply easier in a written and "propper" form (in the meaning, that if you read an language, out of book or newspapers, then they are normally caring for it being the standard language) then by "learning by doing" as it seems to be for most NTs.

Eglish is my second language, and I can even have some limited smalltalk in English (which I can't do in my first language)! My theory is that this is because of the way you learn a language. In the first language, while learning it as a child, you fgure out what the words are meaning, so you answer questions based on meaning. In the second language (at least in my case) you start with learning phrases for specific situations. Stuff like "how are you? - I'm fine thank you, how are you?". If somebody asks me in my first language how I feel I try to answer that question. In my second language I just reply with the learned phrase.
Additionally, since most people start learning a second language at school, this is at an age where you already have some idea about social interaction or social situations. This might make it easier to learn the "correct" (i.e. expected by others) phrases for situations you've experienced before. The very fist time somebody asks you in your first lange "how are you?", you have no idea that there is a fixed pattern how to respond. So if nobody tells you how to respond "correctly", you'll probably always do it wrong. When learning your second language, the teacher (unknowingly) also tells you about the expected reponse, when they tell you what the answer to a question like "how are you?" is.

English is my first language and French my second language. I'm much more comfortable in English. However, I do seem to have a natural ability with languages and my French is 100% self taught - while it isn't fluent I can (and do) hold conversations in French and can read French too. I don't have much experience writing French though.

For me, reading signs and explanations on french is for me far easier then actually listening to it. I think the prob is, that because of my french mum, I do very well with having an origin french accent, when I start using my bit of french. So people dont seem to get, that I am a foreigner, and suddenly slap me with an avalanche of words in an speed that I am not able to follow, because of them being too many and too fast. While for written stuff, I can take as much time as I need and dont annoy someone, if I need to look for a certain word in my translation booklet. ^^