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

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough 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. MethodTeachers 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. ResultsA 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. ConclusionsOur 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.