Year: 2025
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Purpose The impact of concussion on executive functions (EF) in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is understudied. This retrospective review compares differences in EF between ASD and non-ASD children following concussion. Method 162 patients ages 10–20 years (m = 14.69+/− 2.37, 68% male) and their parents seen in an outpatient clinic following concussion (m = 24.97+/− 29.73) completed the Post Concussion Executive Inventory (PCEI). ASD patients (n = 39) were double-matched with non-ASD peers (n = 90) based on age, sex, and year of visit (+/−1 year). T-tests compared parent and child retrospective baseline and retrospective adjusted post-injury difference (RAPID) scores on the PCEI. Results Parents of ASD youth reported higher total overall mean (SD) levels of EF challenges at baseline (32.48(14.91)) than parents of non-ASD youth (13.75(11.24); p < 0.001). This was also true for the baseline working memory (13.25(6.15) vs 5.28(4.80); p < 0.001), emotional control (11.96(6.99) vs 5.12(5.74); p < 0.001), and task initiation (7.26(3.85) vs 3.42(3.22), p < 0.001) domains of the PCEI. However, neither total nor domain-based RAPID scores were different between groups (p > 0.05). ASD patients self-reported significantly higher baseline total PCEI scores (18.72(11.77)) than their non-ASD peers (13.06(10.21); p = 0.007), as well as significantly higher baseline working memory (7.10(5.38) vs 5.24(4.52); p = 0.045), and task initiation scores (8.05(5.68) vs 5.10(4.29); p = 0.002). Emotional control baseline scores did not differ, nor did any self-report RAPID scores (p > 0.05). Conclusions While ASD children may struggle with more EF challenges at baseline, their level of change from baseline following a concussion is not different from their non-ASD peers.
Authors: H Johnson, T Rasooly, A Frater, G Gioia, C Vaughan
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4411963566