Work

The role of every-day executive function in social impairment and adaptive skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder with intellectual disability

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Background Although executive function (EF) deficits are a recognised component of the cognitive phenotype of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), particularly in children without general intellectual delay, little is known about ecological measures of EF and their outcome correlates among individuals with ASD and co-occurring intellectual disability. This exploratory study examined every-day EF in the classroom among children and adolescents diagnosed with both ASD and intellectual disability (ASD-ID) and their correlations with social impairment and adaptive functioning. Method Teachers of 40 children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD-ID completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, and the Social Responsiveness Scale. Results A global executive dysfunction profile was found in ASD-ID, with most prominent deficits occurring in shifting. Results also showed that metacognitive executive processes predicted adaptive communication skills above and beyond IQ and social impairment in ASD-ID. Conclusions Our findings corroborate a specific metacognitive executive function-adaptive communication association in ASD. EF interventions might be important treatment targets for improving functioning, especially in the communicative domain, in ASD-ID.

Source: Research in Autism

DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2018.05.006

Authors: Stella Tsermentseli, Jeannette Farago Tabares, Evangelia Chrysanthi Kouklari

Institution: University of Greenwich

Language: English

Topic: Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,410