Executive Functioning and Social Functioning Correlates Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, ASD+ADHD, and Communication Disorder

• In Event: Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Topic - Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Objective: ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are commonly associated with greater social difficulties, behavior regulation challenges, and risk of developmental psychopathology. Neuropsychological research have also implicated executive functioning weaknesses among those with ADHD and ASD, which may contribute to their dysregulated social behaviors. However, to date, limited research have studied direct associations between day-to-day social functioning and executive functioning using objective test measures among individuals with comorbid ADHD+ASD - a clinical population that has been linked to greater functional impairment than either developmental disorder alone. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to examine the associations between executive functioning, as measured by NIH Toolbox test measures, and social functioning among youth with ASD, ADHD, ASD+ADHD or communication disorders, while controlling for intellectual functioning and age.
Participants and Methods: This study included data from 973 children who were assessed through the Healthy Brain Network of the Child Mind Institute. Of these, 697 with ADHD, 46 with ASD, 183 with ASD+ADHD and 47 with communication disorder. Child participants completed a Wechsler intelligence test (WAIS-IV, WISC-IV/V, WASI-II) or Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test 2nd Edition (KBIT-2) to index overall intellectual functioning; and the Flanker and Dimensional Change Card Sort tests from the NIH Toolbox as measures of response inhibition and set shifting. Caregivers also completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) as an index of their child's day-to-day social problems. Higher scores on cognitive measures reflect stronger performance in the domain whereby elevated scores on the caregiver inventory reflect more problems with social functioning. Higher scores obtained across inventories reflect greater intensity of the construct represented by the subscale.

Results: After controlling for age and intellectual functioning, stronger response inhibition was associated with less severe attention problems among children with ADHD, and less day-to-day social dysfunction among children with communication disorders. However, no associations were observed between executive functioning and caregiver-reports of social and attention functioning among the ASD and ASD+ADHD groups.

Conclusions: Executive functioning weaknesses may be more intimately associated with behavioral problems among children with ADHD or communication disorders. More research regarding different executive functions that may contribute to social difficulties among those with ASD, ADHD and communication disorders are warranted.

Author

• Rowena Ng, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  Presenting Author