Emerging Executive Functioning and Motor Development in Infants at High and Low Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with autism spectrum disorder often demonstrate difficulties with self-regulation, although studies of this construct in young children with autism spectrum disorder are limited. In this study, developmental changes were examined using a measure of self-regulation appropriate for young children, resistance to temptation. At 22, 28, and 34 months, toddlers with an older sibling with autism spectrum disorder (high risk) and toddlers with typically developing older siblings (low risk) were presented with an appealing toy and instructed not to touch it. Observers coded whether or not children touched the toy and the strategies they used to resist touching it. At 36 months, children were assessed for autism spectrum disorder, yielding three groups: high risk children with autism spectrum disorder, high risk children without autism spectrum disorder, and low risk children. At 22 months, most children, regardless of group, touched the forbidden toy; at 28 and 34 months, many high risk children without autism spectrum disorder and low risk children resisted the temptation to touch the toy, whereas most of the children with autism spectrum disorder did not. Differences in delay strategies were also evident. Some, but not all group differences, were accounted for by differences in language ability. Results highlight one early index of impulse control that differentiates children with emerging autism spectrum disorder from age-mates prior to the third birthday.

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A-069 Comparing Driving Errors in Young Adults with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acaa068.069 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 860-860

Author(s):

Showell M ◽

Schultheis M ◽

Patrick K

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Red Light ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Outcome Variable ◽

Neurocognitive Performance ◽

Driving Behaviors ◽

Stop Sign

Abstract Objective Research has found differences in driving behaviors of individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though it is unclear whether differences translate to poorer driving. This study assessed whether ASD diagnosis, executive functioning, and regulation of driving speed and lane positioning predict errors during a simulated drive. Method Participants included 88 16–26 year-olds (45 ASD; 73 Male) who completed assessments of executive functioning and a simulated drive. The drive included a rural route without distractions, the same route with secondary tasks, a highway drive, and a residential drive. For the residential drive, coders documented drivers’ errors including driving onto a curb, crossing the center lane, turning from the wrong lane, running a red light or stop sign, illegally changing lanes, and hitting a person or car. A hierarchical regression included stepwise insertion of ASD diagnosis, neurocognitive performance, and speed and lane deviation as predictor variables and the square root of driving errors as the outcome variable. Results Drivers with ASD committed significantly more errors than non-ASD drivers, p = .03, R2 = .06. Neurocognitive performance added significant predictive value, p = .001, R2Adj = .15. Speed and lane regulation also added significant predictive value, p < .001, R2Adj = .39. The full model accounted for 46% of the variance in driving errors. Conclusions Novice drivers with ASD may be more likely than their peers to make overt, potentially dangerous, errors while driving. Assessment of executive function and less dangerous driving behaviors such as regulation of speed and lane positioning may help to identify individuals at highest risk for committing driving errors and inform driving interventions.

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An executive functioning perspective in neurofibromatosis type 1: from ADHD and autism spectrum disorder to research domains

Child s Nervous System ◽

10.1007/s00381-020-04745-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (10) ◽

pp. 2321-2332

Author(s):

Taylor F. Smith ◽

Jessica A. Kaczorowski ◽

Maria T. Acosta

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Neurofibromatosis Type 1 ◽

Neurofibromatosis Type ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Research Domains

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Development of Lying and Cognitive Abilities

The Oxford Handbook of Lying ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198736578.013.30 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 398-407

Author(s):

Victoria Talwar

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Cognitive Development ◽

Theory Of Mind ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder

The emergence and development of children’s lie-telling is closely associated with their developing cognitive abilities. Telling a lie involves complicated cognitive functions including theory-of-mind understanding and executive functioning abilities. Recent research has found that lie-telling emerges in the preschool years and children’s abilities to maintain their lies improves with age. The current chapter reviews existing literature on the development of children’s lie-telling behavior and its relation to various aspects of children’s cognitive development. It covers the work of Lewis, Stanger, and Sullivan (1989), including the well-known guessing-game experiment, where the child is left alone with temptation and the instruction not to peek. Much of Talwar, Lee, et al.’s research into three-to-seven-year-old children’s lie-telling behavior is covered; and the interaction between these studies and Theory of Mind is emphasized; this is illuminated in the account of research using child subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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Development of attention from birth to 5 months in infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579419000233 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 491-501 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jessica Bradshaw ◽

Ami Klin ◽

Lindsey Evans ◽

Cheryl Klaiman ◽

Celine Saulnier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

At Risk ◽

High Risk ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Social Communication ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Familial Risk ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Low Risk ◽

Spectrum Disorder

AbstractSocial-communication skills emerge within the context of rich social interactions, facilitated by an infant's capacity to attend to people and objects in the environment. Disruption in this early neurobehavioral process may decrease the frequency and quality of social interactions and learning opportunities, potentially leading to downstream deleterious effects on social development. This study examined early attention in infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are at risk for social and communication delays. Visual and auditory attention was mapped from age 1 week to 5 months in infants at familial risk for ASD (high risk; N = 41) and low-risk typically developing infants (low risk; N = 39). At 12 months, a subset of participants (N = 40) was administered assessments of social communication and nonverbal cognitive skills. Results revealed that high-risk infants performed lower on attention tasks at 2 and 3 months of age compared to low-risk infants. A significant association between overall attention at 3 months and developmental outcome at 12 months was observed for both groups. These results provide evidence for early vulnerabilities in visual attention for infants at risk for ASD during a period of important neurodevelopmental transition (between 2 and 3 months) when attention has significant implications for social communication and cognitive development.

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Language regression is associated with faster early motor development in children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism Research ◽

10.1002/aur.2197 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 145-156

Author(s):

Liora Manelis ◽

Gal Meiri ◽

Michal Ilan ◽

Hagit Flusser ◽

Analya Michaelovski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Motor Development ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Language Regression

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Relationships Among Assessment Time, Time on Task, and Motor Skill Performance in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly ◽

10.1123/apaq.30.4.338 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 338-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Casey M. Breslin ◽

Mary E. Rudisill

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Motor Development ◽

Total Duration ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Repeated Measure ◽

Time On Task ◽

Assessment Protocol ◽

Assessment Time ◽

Age Range

Twenty-two children (age range of 3.5–10.92 years old) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development (Second Edition; TGMD-2) using three different protocols. The total duration of assessment time and the percentage of time engaged in on-task behavior during the assessments were measured and analyzed using within-subjects repeated measure ANOVA designs to compare performance across the three protocols. Significant differences emerged across the duration of assessment time by assessment protocol, while no significant differences emerged for time on-task during the assessments by protocol used. In addition, correlations were calculated between the TGMD-2 scores and the duration of assessment time and the percentage of time on-task. An inverse relationship was found between TGMD-2 scores and total duration of assessment time by protocol used, (r = .726, .575, .686), while a positive relationship was found between the TGMD-2 scores and time on-task (r = -.570, -.535, -.798). These results suggest a direct relationship between skill proficiency and contextually appropriate behaviors.

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