Executive Dysfunction in Autism and ADHD

Plain-language summary

Research suggests that individuals with both autism and ADHD often experience challenges with executive functions, which are the mental skills that help us get things done. While there are some overlapping difficulties, studies also indicate that there might be distinct patterns of executive dysfunction in each condition. It's important to note that the exact ways these challenges present can be complex and sometimes difficult to differentiate.

Key findings

• Individuals with both autism and ADHD commonly face executive function deficits.
• Research suggests each condition may have distinct patterns of executive function challenges.
• Some executive function difficulties are shared between autism and ADHD, making it challenging to tell them apart sometimes.
• The relationship between executive function and emotional regulation is an area of ongoing research in individuals with autism, ADHD, and both conditions.
• Social cognition, which is linked to executive function, also shows differences in individuals with autism and ADHD.

Studies cited (8)

1. Do ASD and ADHD Have Distinct Executive Function Deficits? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Direct Comparison Studies — Townes P, Liu C, Panesar P (2023, Journal of attention disorders, meta-analysis)

   DOI: 10.1177/10870547231190494 PMCID: PMC10637091

2. A systematic review on the association between executive function and emotional regulation in autism, ADHD, and autism/ADHD — Pozo-Rodríguez M, Cruz S, Conde-Pumpido-Zubizarreta S (2026, Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, systematic-review)

   DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2026.106570

3. A review of executive function deficits in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder — Craig F, Margari F, Legrottaglie AR (2016, Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, review)

   DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S104620 PMCID: PMC4869784

4. Social cognition in autism and ADHD — Bölte S (2025, Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, other)

   DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106022

5. Simple Executive Function as an endophenotype of autism-ADHD, and differing associations between simple versus complex Executive Functions and autism/ADHD traits — Hendry A, Bedford R, Agyapong M (2025, Scientific reports, other)

   DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-87863-2 PMCID: PMC11811128

6. Effect of Probiotics on the Symptomatology of Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Pilot Study — Rojo-Marticella M, Arija V, Canals-Sans J (2025, Research on child and adolescent psychopathology, other)

   DOI: 10.1007/s10802-024-01278-7 PMCID: PMC11845535

7. Mendelian randomization analyses reveal causal relationships between brain functional networks and risk of psychiatric disorders — Mu C, Dang X, Luo XJ (2024, Nature human behaviour, other)

   DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01879-8

8. Shared polygenic risk for ADHD, executive dysfunction and other psychiatric disorders — Chang S, Yang L, Wang Y (2020, Translational psychiatry, other)

   DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-00872-9 PMCID: PMC7283259