Real-World Executive Functions in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Profiles of Impairment and Associations with Adaptive Functioning and Co-morbid Anxiety and Depression

AbstractAdults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are thought to be at disproportionate risk of developing mental health comorbidities, with anxiety and depression being considered most prominent amongst these. Yet, no systematic review has been carried out to date to examine rates of both anxiety and depression focusing specifically on adults with ASD. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the rates of anxiety and depression in adults with ASD and the impact of factors such as assessment methods and presence of comorbid intellectual disability (ID) diagnosis on estimated prevalence rates. Electronic database searches for studies published between January 2000 and September 2017 identified a total of 35 studies, including 30 studies measuring anxiety (n= 26 070; mean age = 30.9,s.d.= 6.2 years) and 29 studies measuring depression (n= 26 117; mean age = 31.1,s.d.= 6.8 years). The pooled estimation of current and lifetime prevalence for adults with ASD were 27% and 42% for any anxiety disorder, and 23% and 37% for depressive disorder. Further analyses revealed that the use of questionnaire measures and the presence of ID may significantly influence estimates of prevalence. The current literature suffers from a high degree of heterogeneity in study method and an overreliance on clinical samples. These results highlight the importance of community-based studies and the identification and inclusion of well-characterized samples to reduce heterogeneity and bias in estimates of prevalence for comorbidity in adults with ASD and other populations with complex psychiatric presentations.

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Executive Functions in Older Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Objective Performance and Subjective Complaints

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ◽

10.1007/s10803-016-2831-4 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (9) ◽

pp. 2859-2873 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Roeliena C. D. Davids ◽

Yvonne Groen ◽

Ina J. Berg ◽

Oliver M. Tucha ◽

Ingrid D. C. van Balkom

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adults With Autism ◽

Objective Performance ◽

Subjective Complaints

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Unexpected changes of itinerary – adaptive functioning difficulties in daily transitions for adults with autism spectrum disorder

European Journal of Special Needs Education ◽

10.1080/08856257.2016.1187889 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 330-343 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ewelina Rydzewska

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adaptive Functioning ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adults With Autism

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The Real-World Effectiveness of Early Teaching Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Council review ◽

10.1177/001440290707300402 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 73 (4) ◽

pp. 417-433 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Phil Reed ◽

Lisa A. Osborne ◽

Mark Corness

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Applied Behavior Analysis ◽

Real World ◽

Adaptive Functioning ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Severity ◽

Community Based ◽

Teaching Interventions

The effectiveness of 3 early teaching interventions (applied behavior analysis [ABA], special nursery placement, and portage) for children with autism spectrum disorder was studied in a community-based sample over 10 months. Measures of autism severity as well as intellectual, educational, and adaptive behavioral function were administered. In contrast to reports in some previous research (Lovaas, 1987), there was no evidence of recovery from autism. Children in the ABA condition made greater intellectual and educational gains than children in the portage program. They also made greater educational gains than students in the nursery program. Furthermore, the nursery program produced larger gains than the portage program in adaptive functioning.

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