Are Executive Control Functions Related to Autism Symptoms in High-Functioning Children?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Linking autism symptoms to cognitive abilities can expand phenotypic descriptions and facilitate investigations into the etiology and treatment of this multiplex disorder. Executive dysfunction is one of several potential cognitive phenotypes in autism. METHOD: Archival clinical data on 89 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders and administered a large neuropsychological battery were evaluated for relationships between executive functioning and autism symptoms. RESULTS: Significant relationships between both laboratory tasks and behavior rating scales of executive functions and autism symptoms were identified. Multiple regression analyses revealed that measures of semantic fluency, divided auditory attention, and behavioral regulation were significantly correlated with autism symptoms, even after accounting for the variance from correlated "nuisance variables," such as vocabulary and age. CONCLUSIONS: Executive dysfunction is related to all three clusters of behavioral symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorders.