Executive Dysfunction Interventions for Children with Co-occurring Autism and AD

Plain-language summary

Research suggests that children and adolescents with both autism spectrum disorder and high-functioning autism spectrum disorder often experience challenges with executive functions. While the exact nature and consistency of these challenges can vary, many studies point to difficulties in areas like planning, working memory, and inhibition. It's important to remember that this is a complex area, and the effectiveness of interventions for combined autism and ADHD isn't fully established by this particular meta-analysis, which focused on measurement rather than intervention outcomes.

Key findings

• Children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder may show executive function difficulties across various neuropsychological measures.
• Specific areas of executive dysfunction can include challenges with planning, working memory, and inhibitory control.
• The extent and consistency of these executive function challenges can differ among individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
• This meta-analysis focused on identifying and measuring executive dysfunction rather than evaluating intervention effectiveness.

Studies cited (1)

1. Meta-analysis of neuropsychological measures of executive functioning in children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder — Lai CLE, Lau Z, Lui SSY (2017, Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, meta-analysis)

   DOI: 10.1002/aur.1723