a Department of Psychology , Simon Fraser University , Burnaby , Canada.
b Department of Pediatrics , University of British Columbia , Vancouver , Canada.
Clin Neuropsychol. 2017 Nov;31(8):1283-1305. doi: 10.1080/13854046.2017.1290139. Epub 2017 Feb 16.
The current study investigated executive function (EF) in young children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using multiple methods of assessment.
Young children (M = 63.2 months) with and without ASD, matched on age, IQ, and maternal education, were assessed on computerized measures of working memory, inhibition, flexibility, and planning. Parents completed a behavior rating scale assessing children's EF within everyday contexts.
There were no significant group differences on working memory, inhibition, flexibility, or planning. The mean difference on one aspect of the planning task (number of correct trials), however, approached significance and showed a medium to large effect size. There was also a significant difference between groups on the EF behavior rating scale, indicating that participants with ASD demonstrated greater executive dysfunction, as indexed by parent report.
The results suggest that in young children with ASD, EF difficulties may only become apparent when situational demands require coordinating multiple abilities, as assessed with scales indexing children's abilities to manage their day-to-day EF-related behavior. We suggest that multiple methods are needed to achieve a comprehensive and valid EF assessment in young children with ASD.
本研究采用多种评估方法，调查了自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童和无 ASD 儿童的执行功能（EF）。
对年龄、智商和母亲教育程度相匹配的 ASD 儿童和无 ASD 儿童进行了计算机化工作记忆、抑制、灵活性和计划能力的评估。家长完成了一份行为评定量表，评估了儿童在日常环境中的 EF。
在工作记忆、抑制、灵活性或计划方面，两组间均无显著差异。然而，在计划任务的一个方面（正确试验次数）的平均差异接近显著水平，表现出中等至较大的效应量。在 EF 行为评定量表上，两组间也存在显著差异，表明参与者的 ASD 表现出更大的执行功能障碍，这是由父母报告索引的。
结果表明，在 ASD 儿童中，EF 困难可能只有在需要协调多种能力的情况下才会变得明显，这种情况可以通过评估儿童日常 EF 相关行为的能力来衡量。我们建议，需要采用多种方法对 ASD 儿童进行全面和有效的 EF 评估。
