Executive Function in Autism: Association with ADHD and ASD Symptoms.

This study looked at thinking skills (like planning and attention) in 64 autistic children. Researchers found that most thinking difficulties were linked to ADHD symptoms rather than autism symptoms. Two areas - being flexible with changes and managing emotions - seemed less affected. This suggests that when autistic children struggle with attention, planning, or memory, it might be related to ADHD traits rather than autism itself.

This study examined executive functioning (EF) difficulties in 64 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), investigating whether these challenges relate to autism severity, ADHD symptoms, or both. Results showed that most executive functioning problems (excluding shift and emotional control abilities) were consistently associated with ADHD symptom severity rather than autism severity. The findings suggest that executive functioning deficits commonly observed in autistic children may be more closely tied to co-occurring ADHD symptoms than to core autism characteristics. This has important implications for understanding the nature of cognitive difficulties in autism and potential intervention targets.

Assessment and intervention for executive functioning difficulties in autistic children should consider ADHD symptoms as a primary factor. Clinicians may need to address ADHD-related challenges specifically rather than focusing solely on autism-related interventions for executive functioning support.

Single study with modest sample size (64 children). Study type and methodology details not clearly specified. Findings based on rating scales rather than direct cognitive assessment. Limited generalizability without replication studies.

There is substantial comorbidity between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and there are well-documented executive functioning (EF) deficits in both populations. An important question concerns whether EF deficits in children with ASD are related to severity of ASD, ADHD, or both. We examined ADHD and ASD symptoms in relation to ratings of EF in the home and classroom. The sample comprised 64 children (55 males) diagnosed with ASD (mean age = 9.26 years; mean FSIQ = 92).

Analyses indicated that parent and teacher ratings of EF (except Shift and Emotional Control) were consistently related to ADHD symptom severity, but not to ASD severity. Thus, functioning in the domains of Shift and Emotional control appear relatively spared, whereas performance in all other EF was impaired in relation to ADHD symptoms.