ERIC Number: EJ1369453
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1524-8372
EISSN: EISSN-1532-7647
How Executive Functions Correlate with Intelligence in Children and Adolescents in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Cruz, Sara; Cruz, Raquel; Alcón, Alicia; Sampaio, Adriana; Merchan-Naranjo, Jessica; Rodríguez, Elisa; Parellada, Mara; Carracedo, Ángel; Fernández-Prieto, Montse
Journal of Cognition and Development, v23 n5 p776-790 2022
Dysexecutive syndrome has been consistently reported in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Particularly, impairments have been documented in working memory, inhibition, and mental flexibility. However, the relationship between executive impairments and intellectual functioning is far from clear in this population. This study aimed to investigate how executive functions (EF) are associated with intelligence in ASD. Children and adolescents with ASD (N = 69) were compared to typically developing (TD) individuals (N = 68), matched in chronological age and sex. The Wechsler Intelligence Scales were used to assess participants' intelligence quotient (estimated IQ). EF -- working memory, shifting, and inhibition -- were assessed using the Digit Span, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Stroop Test, respectively. TD individuals outperformed ASD in all cognitive assessment measures. Correlation analysis showed that while for the ASD group intelligence was associated with shifting abilities, in the TD group the association was observed for working memory measures. Linear regression analysis supported that the association between intelligence and EF domains differed between groups, particularly regarding shifting abilities (interaction term significant), whereas working memory showed a similar trend in both groups (difference in effect size is non-significant). Results suggest that specific executive function domains are associated with ASD intellectual functioning and differ from TD individuals, which may be related to adaptive behavior outcomes.
Descriptors: Executive Function, Intelligence, Children, Adolescents, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Intelligence Tests, Short Term Memory, Cognitive Tests, Cognitive Ability, Abstract Reasoning
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; Digit Span Test; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A