scholarly journals Caregiver Report of Executive Functioning in Adolescent Females With Anorexia Nervosa or Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Alix Timko ◽  
John D. Herrington ◽  
Anushua Bhattacharya ◽  
Emily S. Kuschner ◽  
Benjamin E. Yerys

Current literature suggesting a shared endophenotype between individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) related to executive functioning (EF) has several limitations: performance-based instead of ecologically valid measures of set-shifting are used, lack of comparisons between same-sex groups, and reliance on adult samples only. This was the first study directly comparing female youth with ASD to female youth with AN using an ecologically valid measure of EF. A secondary data analysis combined caregiver-reported EF on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) for 22 female adolescent youth with AN and 29 female adolescent youth with ASD. EF in each group was compared to population norms, and EF was compared between groups. Compared to population norms, adolescents with AN had elevated scores on shift, initiate, and emotional control scales, and adolescents with ASD had elevated scores on all scales of the BRIEF and were more likely to have scores in the clinical range. There were significant differences between groups on all but three scales. The cognitive profiles and clinical scores of AN females were not comparable to those of ASD females. The findings reveal a clear clinical impairment in females with ASD but not in females with AN. The results do not support the hypothesis of similar real-world EF profiles between these groups. The results encourage further exploration into the similarities and distinctions between these two disorders.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Inoue ◽  
Ryoko Otani ◽  
Toshiyuki Iguchi ◽  
Ryuta Ishii ◽  
Soh Uchida ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and feeding and eating disorders (FEDs) such as anorexia nervosa (AN) are strongly linked as evidenced by frequent comorbidity and overlapping traits. However, eating and social behaviors are shaped by culture, so it is critical to examine these associations in different populations. Moreover, FEDs are heterogeneous, and there has been no examination of autistic traits in avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Methods Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of ASD and autistic traits among Japanese children with AN (n = 92) or ARFID (n = 32) from a prospective multicenter cohort study using the Autism Spectrum Quotient Children’s version (AQC) and Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT26). Results ASD prevalence was high in both AN and ARFID (16.3 and 12.5%, respectively). The AN group exhibited significantly higher scores on all AQC subscales than an age-matched healthy control (HC) group, but there were no significant correlations between AQC scores and ChEAT26 scores. In the AFRID group, AQC scores did not differ from HCs, but significant correlations were found between total AQC and ChEAT26 scores and between several AQC and ChEAT26 subscales. Conclusions Both the AN and ARFID groups had high prevalence rates of ASD. The AN group showed a significantly higher degree of autistic traits than the HC group; however, no difference was found between the ARFID and HC groups. Clinicians need to be aware of these rates when working with children with ED.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 860-860
Author(s):  
Showell M ◽  
Schultheis M ◽  
Patrick K

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.


Author(s):  
Victoria Talwar

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.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya St. John ◽  
Annette M. Estes ◽  
Stephen R. Dager ◽  
Penelope Kostopoulos ◽  
Jason J. Wolff ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 1051-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Postorino ◽  
Lawrence Scahill ◽  
Lavinia De Peppo ◽  
Laura Maria Fatta ◽  
Valeria Zanna ◽  
...  

Autism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Kathrine Munkhaugen ◽  
Tonje Torske ◽  
Elen Gjevik ◽  
Terje Nærland ◽  
Are Hugo Pripp ◽  
...  

This study compared social, executive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorder who did and did not display school refusal behavior. The participants were 62 students with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability aged 9–16 years attending inclusive schools. Parents first completed questionnaires assessing social and executive functioning as well as emotional and behavioral problems. They then documented their child’s school refusal behavior for a period of 20 days. Compared to students without school refusal behavior (n = 29), students with school refusal behavior (n = 33) were significantly less socially motivated; displayed more deficits in initiating tasks or activities, in generating ideas, responses, or problem-solving strategies; and displayed more withdrawn and depressive symptoms. Assessing social and executive functioning, as well as emotional problems, may help professionals provide tailored interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder and school refusal behavior, which will further be valuable in recognizing characteristics associated with school refusal behavior.


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