Differential analysis of executive functions in children from disadvantaged families vs. children with autistic spectrum disorder
Supporting Agencies
- Andalusian Regional Government
Abstract
Executive Functions (EF) are considered necessary for dealing with new situations and for controlling one's behavior. Studies have confirmed EF difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and in children from disadvantaged families (DF). This study aimed to examine EF difficulties in the two populations –ASD and DF children- with respect to EF in children who show typical development (TD). A total of 89 children between the ages of 7 and 12 years participated, divided into three groups: 28 with ASD, 36 from DF and 25 with TD. Assessments were made with different measures of EF (executive attention, cognitive flexibility, inhibition and working memory) and central coherence. In general, the children from DF obtained the lowest scores in all measures, although differences were not significant with respect to the other groups in all cases. Children with ASD obtained similar scores to the TD group in executive attention and working memory, and higher scores in central coherence. In comparison to the children from DF, the ASD children did better on all measures. These results would indicate that intervention programs designed for the two groups must be focus on different kind of tasks.
Downloads
References
Aljunied, M., & Frederickson, N. (2013). Does central coherence relate to the cognitive performance of children with autism in dynamic assessments? Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 17, 172–183. doi:10.1177/1362361311409960
American Psychiatric Association (2013). DSM-V. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association. American Psychiatric Association.
Arán-Filippetti, V. (2013). Structure and Invariance of Executive Functioning Tasks across Socioeconomic Status: Evidence from Spanish-Speaking Children. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 16(101), 1–15. doi:10.1017/sjp.2013.102
Arán-Filippetti, V., & Richaud de Minzi, M. C. (2011). A structural analysis of executive functions and socioeconomic status in school-age children: cognitive factors as effect mediators. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 173, 393–416. doi:10.1080/00221325.2011.602374
Bäckman, O., & Nilsson, A. (2011). Pathways to social exclusion - A life-course study. European Sociological Review, 27, 107–123. doi:10.1093/esr/jcp064
Blijd-Hoogewys, E. M. A., Bezemer, M. L., & Van Geert, P. L. C. (2014). Executive functioning in children with ASD: An analysis of the BRIEF. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 3089–3100. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2176-9
Bölte, S., Duketis, E., Poustka, F., & Holtmann, M. (2011). Sex differences in cognitive domains and their clinical correlates in higher-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Autism, 15, 497-511. doi:10.1177/1362361310391116
Booth, R. D., & Happé, F. G. (2016). Evidence of Reduced Global Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Advance online publication. doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2724-6
Brocki, K. C., & Bohlin, G. (2004). Executive functions in children aged 6 to 13: A dimensional and developmental study. Developmental neuropsychology, 26, 571-593. doi:10.1207/s15326942dn2602_3
Brunsdon, V. E. A., Colvert, E., Ames, C., Garnett, T., Gillan, N., Hallett, V., … Happé, F. (2015). Exploring the cognitive features in children with autism spectrum disorder, their co-twins, and typically developing children within a population-based sample. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56, 893–902. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12362
De Paúl, J., & Arruabarrena, M. I. (1999). Escalas de Bienestar Infantil de Magura y Moses. Un primer estudio para la validación de la versión española [Child well-being scales of Magura and Moses. A preliminary study for the validations of the Spanish version]. Intervención Psicosocial, 8, 89-107. Retrieved from http://www.copmadrid.org/webcopm/publicaciones/social/47562.pdf
De Vries, M., & Geurts, H. M. (2012). Cognitive flexibility in ASD; Task switching with emotional faces. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 2558–2568. doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1512-1
De Vries, M., & Geurts, H. M. (2014). Beyond individual differences: Are working memory and inhibition informative specifiers within ASD? Journal of Neural Transmission, 121, 1183–1198. doi:10.1007/s00702-014-1225-z
Devicienti, F., & Poggi, A. (2011). Poverty and social exclusion: two sides of the same coin or dynamically interrelated processes? Applied Economics, 43, 3549–3571. doi:10.1080/00036841003670721
Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual review of psychology, 64, 135-168. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750
Dickerson, A., & Popli, G. (2016). Persistent poverty and children’s cognitive development: Evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Statistics in Society-Series A, 179, 535–558. doi:10.1111/rssa.12128
Golden, C. J. (2006). Stroop: Test de Colores y Palabras [Stroop: Color and Word test]. Madrid: TEA ediciones.
Gómez-Pérez, M. M., Calero, M. D., Mata, S., & Molinero, C. (2016). Discrepancies between direct and indirect measures of interpersonal and neurocognitive skills in autism spectrum disorder children. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 38, 875-886. doi:10.1080/13803395.2016.1170106
Greve, K. W. (2001). The WCST-64: A standardized short-form of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 15, 228-234. doi:10.1076/clin.15.2.228.1901
Hair, N. L., Hanson, J. L., Wolfe, B. L., & Pollak, S. D. (2015). Association of Child Poverty, Brain Development, and Academic Achievement. JAMA Pediatrics, 169, 822–829. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1475
Heaton, R. K. (1981). The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Hill, E. L. (2004). Evaluating the theory of executive dysfunction in autism. Developmental review, 24, 189-233. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2004.01.001
Iampietro, M., Giovannetti, T., Drabick, D. A. G., & Kessler, R. K. (2012). Empirically defined patterns of executive function deficits in schizophrenia and their relation to everyday functioning: a person-centered approach. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 26, 1166–1185. doi:10.1080/13854046.2012.721399
Kalbfleisch, M. L., & Loughan, A. R. (2012). Impact of IQ discrepancy on executive function in high-functioning autism: insight into twice exceptionality. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 390–400. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1257-2
Kongs, S. K., Thompson, L. L., Iverson, G. L., & Heaton, R. K. (2000). Wisconsin Card Sorting Test–64 Card Version (WCST–64). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Lemon, J. M., Gargaro, B., Enticott, P. G., & Rinehart, N. J. (2011). Brief report: Executive functioning in autism spectrum disorders: A gender comparison of response inhibition. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41, 352-356. doi:10.1007/s10803-010-1039-2
Leung, R. C., Vogan, V. M., Powell, T. L., Anagnostou, E., & Taylor, M. J. (2016). The role of executive functions in social impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Child Neuropsychology: A Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence, 22, 336–344. doi:10.1080/09297049.2015.1005066
Leung, R. C., & Zakzanis, K. K. (2014). Brief report: Cognitive flexibility in autism spectrum disorders: A quantitative review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 2628–2645. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2136-4
Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P. C., y Risi, S. (2002). Escala de Observación de Diagnóstico de Autismo [Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, ADOS]. Madrid: TEA ediciones.
Magura, S., & Moses, B.S. (1986). Outcome Measures for Child Welfare Services. Washington, D.C.: Child Welfare League of America
Mata, S., Gómez-Pérez, M. M., Molinero, C., & Calero, M. D. (2017). Interpersonal problem-solving skills, executive function and learning potential in preadolescents with high/low family risk. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 20. e56. doi:10.1017/sjp.2017.54
Mostert-Kerckhoffs, M. A. L., Staal, W. G., Houben, R. H., & De Jonge, M. V. (2015). Stop and Change: Inhibition and Flexibility Skills Are Related to Repetitive Behavior in Children and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45, 3148–3158. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2473-y
Moura, O., Simões, M. R., & Pereira, M. (2015). Executive Functioning in Children with Developmental Dyslexia. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 28(Suppl 1), 20–41. doi:10.1080/13854046.2014.964326
Peterson, R. K., Noggle, C. A., Thompson, J. C., & Davis, J. J. (2015). Everyday executive functioning influences adaptive skills in autism spectrum disorders. Neuropsychological Trends, 18, 31–37. doi:10.7358/neur-2015-018-pete
Piovesana, A. M., Ross, S., Whittingham, K., Ware, R. S., & Boyd, R. N. (2015). Stability of executive functioning measures in 8-17-year-old children with unilateral cerebral palsy. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 29, 133–149. doi:10.1080/13854046.2014.999125
Pugliese, C. E., Anthony, L. G., Strang, J. F., Dudley, K., Wallace, G. L., Naiman, D. Q., & Kenworthy, L. (2016). Longitudinal Examination of Adaptive Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Influence of Executive Function. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46, 467–477. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2584-5
Raver, C. C., Blair, C., & Willoughby, M. (2013). Poverty as a predictor of 4-year-olds’ executive function: New perspectives on models of differential susceptibility. Developmental Psychology, 49, 292–304. doi:10.1037/a0028343
Rhoades, B. L., Greenberg, M. T., Lanza, S. T., & Blair, C. (2011). Demographic and familial predictors of early executive function development: Contribution of a person-centered perspective. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 108, 638–662. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2010.08.004
Robinson, S., Goddard, L., Dritschel, B., Wisley, M., & Howlin, P. (2009). Executive functions in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Brain and Cognition, 71, 362–368. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2009.06.007
Rutter, M., LeCouteur, A., Lord, C. (2000). Entrevista Diagnóstica del Autismo-Revisada [Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, ADI-R]. Madrid: TEA ediciones.
Shah, A., & Frith, U. (1993). Why do autistic individuals show superior performance on the block design task?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34, 1351-1364. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1993.tb02095.x
Salomone, S., Fleming, G. R., Bramham, J., O’Connell, R. G., & Robertson, I. H. (2016). Neuropsychological Deficits in Adult ADHD Evidence for Differential Attentional Impairments, Deficient Executive Functions, and High Self-Reported Functional Impairments. Journal of Attention Disorders. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/1087054715623045
Troyb, E., Rosenthal, M., Eigsti, I. M., Kelley, E., Tyson, K., Orinstein, A., … Fein, D. (2014). Executive functioning in individuals with a history of ASDs who have achieved optimal outcomes. Child Neuropsychology: A Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence, 20, 378–397. doi:10.1080/09297049.2013.799644
Ursache, A., & Noble, K. G. (2016). Neurocognitive development in socioeconomic context: Multiple mechanisms and implications for measuring socioeconomic status. Psychophysiology, 53, 71–82. doi:10.1111/psyp.12547
Van Eylen, L., Boets, B., Steyaert, J., Wagemans, J., & Noens, I. (2015). Executive functioning in autism spectrum disorders: influence of task and sample characteristics and relation to symptom severity. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24, 1399–1417. doi:10.1007/s00787-015-0689-1
Wechsler, D. (2005). Escala de inteligencia de Wechsler para niños-IV (WISC-IV). [Wechsler intelligence scale for children - IV]. Madrid: TEA ediciones.
Witkins, H. A., Oltman, P. K., Raskin, E., & Karp, S. A. (1987). Tests de Figuras Enmascaradas [Embedded Figures Test]. Madrid: TEA ediciones.
Yamamoto, N., & Imai-Matsumura, K. (2017). Gender differences in executive function and behavioural self-regulation in 5 year old kindergarteners from East Japan. Early Child Development and Care. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/03004430.2017.1299148
Zabel, T. A., Jacobson, L. A, Zachik, C., Levey, E., Kinsman, S., & Mahone, E. M. (2011). Parent- and self-ratings of executive functions in adolescents and young adults with spina bifida. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 25, 926–941.
doi:10.1080/13854046.2011.586002
The works published in this journal are subject to the following terms:
1. The Publications Service of the University of Murcia (the publisher) retains the property rights (copyright) of published works, and encourages and enables the reuse of the same under the license specified in paragraph 2.
© Servicio de Publicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, 2022
2. The works are published in the online edition of the journal under a Creative Commons Reconocimiento-CompartirIgual 4.0 (legal text). You can copy, use, distribute, transmit and publicly display, provided that: i) you cite the author and the original source of publication (journal, editorial and URL of the work), ii) are not used for commercial purposes, iii ) mentions the existence and specifications of this license.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
3. Conditions of self-archiving. Is allowed and encouraged the authors to disseminate electronically pre-print versions (version before being evaluated and sent to the journal) and / or post-print (version reviewed and accepted for publication) of their works before publication, as it encourages its earliest circulation and diffusion and thus a possible increase in its citation and scope between the academic community. RoMEO Color: Green.
