Autism severity level affects working memory and planning but not inhibition, shifting and emotional control

Abstract

Autistic children often have difficulties in executive functions (EF). These difficulties can, in turn, affect their everyday functioning. It is less clear in what way EF are affected by the severity of autism symptoms in children. We hypothesize that autism severity level does not have the same effect across the different components of EF. In this study, we examined how EF are affected by the autism severity level in a sample of 52 autistic children aged 4-7 years (mean age-5.4 years, SD-0.9 years). EF were measured through teachers' reports on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions-Preschool Version. Autism severity level was measured with the Social Communication Questionnaire-Current Form. The results of this study showed that autism severity level impacted two EF, namely Planning and Working memory, and did not affect three EF components: Inhibition, Shifting, and Emotional Control. These results indicate that the cool or cognitive EF are more affected by autism severity level than hot EF. We conclude the article with suggestions for improving EF in autistic children. Lay SummaryExecutive functions such as working memory are very important in everyday life activities. Many autistic children have difficulties in executive functions. In this study, we examined how autism severity level affects executive functions. The results showed that children with more severe autistic symptoms had worse functioning in working memory and planning. These two skills, working memory and planning, can be improved and we described some interventions that practitioners can use to improve these two executive functions.

The “psychiatric” neuron: the psychic neuron of the cerebral cortex, revisited

“…Deficits in working memory can prevent the consideration and manipulation of social information necessary for successful social behaviors, resulting in social deficits. Co-occurring deficits in working memory and social functioning are noted in a number of psychiatric and neurological conditions, including traumatic brain injury ( Nolan et al, 2018 ), autism spectrum disorder ( Rabiee et al, 2020 ; Gong et al, 2023 ; Memisevic et al, 2023 ), borderline personality disorder ( Krause-Utz et al, 2014 ), epilepsy ( Lim et al, 2007 ; Hernan et al, 2014 ), post-traumatic stress disorder ( Sippel et al, 2021 ), neurodegenerative conditions ( Legaz et al, 2023 ), and intellectual disability ( Ducic et al, 2018 ). Here, we highlight the relationship between working memory deficits and social dysfunction in three psychiatric conditions: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and social anxiety, with a special emphasis on how PFC dysfunction may mediate this relationship.…”