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OBJECTIVE: Researchers employed two recruitment strategies in a school-based comparative effectiveness trial for students with a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism. This study assessed the: 1) effectiveness of school-based referrals for identifying students meeting diagnostic criteria and 2) impact of eliminating requirements for existing diagnoses on recruitment, sample characteristics, and intervention response. METHOD: Autistic students and students with ADHD in schools serving underresourced communities were recruited for an executive functioning (EF) intervention trial over 2 years. In Year 1, school staff nominated students with previous diagnoses. In Year 2, school staff nominated students demonstrating EF challenges associated with ADHD or autism; previous diagnosis was not required. Study staff then confirmed diagnoses. RESULTS: More students were included in Year 2 (N = 106) than Year 1 (N = 37). In Year 2, 96% of students referred by school staff met diagnostic criteria for ADHD or autism, 53% of whom were not previously diagnosed. Newly identified students were less likely than previously diagnosed students to be receiving services and, for those with ADHD, were more likely to speak primarily Spanish at home. Previously diagnosed and newly identified students did not differ on other demographic variables or intervention response. Caregivers of previously diagnosed students reported more symptoms than caregivers of newly identified students for both diagnostic groups. Previously diagnosed students with ADHD had more researcher-rated symptoms than newly identified students. CONCLUSIONS: Recruitment for an intervention study using behavior-based referrals from school staff enhanced enrollment without compromising the sample's diagnostic integrity and engaged children who otherwise would have been excluded.
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OBJECTIVE: Executive functions (EF) drive health and educational outcomes and therefore are increasingly common treatment targets. Most treatment trials rely on questionnaires to capture meaningful change because ecologically valid, pediatric performance-based EF tasks are lacking. The Executive Function Challenge Task (EFCT) is a standardized, treatment-sensitive, objective measure which assesses flexibility and planning in the context of provocative social interactions, making it a "hot" EF task. METHOD: We investigate the structure, reliability, and validity of the EFCT in youth with autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder; n = 129), or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with flexibility problems (n = 93), and typically developing (TD; n = 52) youth. RESULTS: The EFCT can be coded reliably, has a two-factor structure (flexibility and planning), and adequate internal consistency and consistency across forms. Unlike a traditional performance-based EF task (verbal fluency), it shows significant correlations with parent-reported EF, indicating ecological validity. EFCT performance distinguishes youth with known EF problems from TD youth and is not significantly related to visual pattern recognition, or social communication/understanding in autistic children. CONCLUSIONS: The EFCT demonstrates adequate reliability and validity and may provide developmentally appropriate, treatment-sensitive, and ecologically valid assessment of "hot" EF in youth. It can be administered in controlled settings by masked administrators.
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Función Ejecutiva , Psicometría/normas , Adolescente , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/psicología , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/psicología , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Memoria a Corto Plazo , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Interacción SocialRESUMEN
LAY ABSTRACT: Many autistic people struggle with mental health problems like anxiety, depression, inattention, and aggression, which can be challenging to treat. Executive function challenges, which impact many autistic individuals, may serve as a risk factor for mental health problems or make treating mental health conditions more difficult. While some people respond well to medication or therapy, others do not. This study tried to understand if there are different subgroups of autistic young people who may have similar patterns of executive function strengths and challenges-like flexibility, planning, self-monitoring, and emotion regulation. Then, we investigated whether executive function subgroups were related to mental health problems in autistic youth. We found three different types of executive function subgroups in autistic youth, each with different patterns of mental health problems. This helps us identify specific profiles of executive function strengths and challenges that may be helpful with identifying personalized supports, services, and treatment strategies for mental health conditions.
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Self-determination refers to an individual's capacity and opportunities to act as a causal agent in their own lives to make choices, decisions, and set goals. The current study examined self- and parent-reports of the AIR Self-Determination Scale in transition-aged autistic youth (Based on stakeholder preferences, we use identity-first(autistic) or neutral language (on the autism spectrum) (Bottema-Beutel in JAMA 3:18-29, 2020)). Autistic youth completed depression and executive function measures, and parents rated their child's social-communication and executive function difficulties. Despite differences between youth and parent reports, both youth and their parents reported lower self-determination skills (capacity) than opportunities to practice self-determined behaviors. Both depression and executive function skills were related to self-determination capacity, highlighting potential intervention targets for transition-aged youth to facilitate increased self-determination and potentially improved adult outcomes.
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Trastorno del Espectro Autista , Trastorno Autístico , Discapacidad Intelectual , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/diagnóstico , Trastorno Autístico/diagnóstico , Niño , Comunicación , Humanos , Discapacidad Intelectual/diagnóstico , Autonomía PersonalRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Conceptual knowledge frameworks termed schemas facilitate memory formation and are posited to support flexible behavior. In adults, the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) trade-off in supporting schema-based memory formation, such that encoding of subsequently remembered schema-congruent information relies on mPFC, whereas schema-incongruent information relies on MTL. Whether this is true in the immature brain and relates to behavioral flexibility is unknown. In this preliminary investigation, we aimed to replicate the adult findings in typically developing (TD) children and to investigate the relevance to behavioral flexibility by examining a disorder with pathognomonic behavioral rigidity, autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: Children completed an associative subsequent memory paradigm, encoding object-scene pairs in an MRI scanner and subsequently completing a recognition test outside the scanner after a delay. Recognition performance was back sorted to construct remembered vs forgotten contrasts. One-way ANOVAS were conducted in MTL and mPFC masks for schema-congruency, followed by congruency by flexibility scores. Exploratory analyses were then conducted within the whole brain. RESULTS: As reported in adults, episodic memory was strongest for schema-congruent object-scene pairs, followed by intermediate pairs, and lowest for schema-incongruent pairs in both TD and ASD groups. However, the trade-off between mPFC and MTL in TD children differed from adult reports such that mPFC supported memory for intermediate schema-congruency and left anterior MTL supported memory for schema-congruent pairs. In ASD, mPFC engagement interacted with flexibility such that activation supporting memory for intermediate schema-congruency varied with parent-reported flexibility and was higher in those with more flexible behavior. A similar interaction was also observed in both the left dorsolateral and rostrolateral PFC in whole-brain analysis. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide the first preliminary evidence for the association of schema-based episodic memory formation and behavioral flexibility, an executive function impaired in multiple developmental disorders. Upon replication, this line of research holds promise for memory-based interventions addressing executive problems of behavioral rigidity.
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Trastorno del Espectro Autista , Memoria Episódica , Adulto , Niño , Humanos , Recuerdo Mental , Corteza Prefrontal/diagnóstico por imagen , Reconocimiento en PsicologíaRESUMEN
Although the alliance is a consistent predictor of treatment outcomes in psychosocial interventions, few studies have examined this association among youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In particular, youth-therapist alliance has never been examined in social skills interventions (SSIs), a common modality for this population. In this study, thirty-four youth with ASD (Mage = 12.41; 79% male) participated in a community-delivered, group-based SSI in a summer camp format led by eight Head Therapists (Mage = 32.12; 50% male). Early alliance and change in alliance over the course of the treatment were assessed via self- and observer-reported measures. Both self- and observer-rated alliance were associated with positive treatment outcomes as reported by parents (decreased problem behaviors) and other peers in the group (reciprocated friendship and social preference). These results provide the first evidence of the role of the alliance in an SSI for youth with ASD and add to the growing body of literature that demonstrates the importance of assessing and addressing the alliance in treatment for this population.
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Trastorno del Espectro Autista , Problema de Conducta , Adolescente , Adulto , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/terapia , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Padres , Grupo Paritario , Habilidades SocialesRESUMEN
Youth with autism spectrum disorder can face social-communication challenges related to sexuality, dating, and friendships. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the Supporting Teens with Autism on Relationships program. In total, 84 youth with autism spectrum disorder aged 9 to 18 and their parents participated in this study; two groups received the Supporting Teens with Autism on Relationships program (interventionist-led parent group vs parent self-guided), while an attentional control group received a substance abuse prevention program that included instruction in problem-solving and social skills. Feasibility and acceptability of the Supporting Teens with Autism on Relationships program was high overall. The Supporting Teens with Autism on Relationships program was effective in increasing parent and youth knowledge of sexuality, while the attentional control was not. There was preliminary support for improvement in parenting efficacy related to discussing sexuality with their children. Gains were seen among completers regardless of whether the parent received support from a facilitator. Implications and future directions are discussed.
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Trastorno del Espectro Autista/psicología , Responsabilidad Parental/psicología , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de Salud/métodos , Educación Sexual/métodos , Conducta Sexual/psicología , Habilidades Sociales , Adolescente , Niño , Estudios de Factibilidad , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Padres/psicologíaRESUMEN
Sleep problems are common in healthy young children, as well as in older children and adolescents with asthma; yet little is known about the sleep patterns and sleep issues of young children with asthma. Further, when young children have sleep disruptions, parental sleep is also typically disrupted. The purpose of this study was to characterize sleep in young children (one to four years) with and without asthma and their parents. Parents of young children ( n = 364) from the general community completed measures of sleep patterns and sleep issues in their children and in themselves. Compared to children with well-controlled asthma or no asthma, children with poorly controlled asthma had poorer sleep patterns, more difficulty falling asleep, and more sleep disruptions (i.e. restless sleep, frequent apneas and gasping during sleep, and frequent sleep terrors). Parents of children with poorly controlled asthma indicated their own sleep was regularly disrupted, and they had frequent night awakenings due to attending to, and stress caused by, their child's health needs. Children with poorly controlled asthma and their parents demonstrated significant sleep issues. Clinical implications for working with young children with asthma and their parents are discussed.
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Asma/complicaciones , Padres/psicología , Higiene del Sueño , Adulto , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Lactante , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Trastornos del Sueño-Vigilia/etiología , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
Although social-communication difficulties and repetitive behaviors are hallmark features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and persist across the lifespan, very few studies have compared age-related differences in these behaviors between youth with ASD and same-age typically developing (TD) peers. We examined this issue using SRS-2 (Social Responsiveness Scale-Second Edition) measures of social-communicative functioning and repetitive behaviors in a stratified cross-sectional sample of 324 youth with ASD in the absence of intellectual disability, and 438 TD youth (aged 4-29 years). An age-by-group interaction emerged indicating that TD youth exhibited age-related improvements in social-communication scores while the ASD group demonstrated age-related declines in these scores. This suggests that adolescents/adults with ASD may fall increasingly behind their same-age peers in social-communicative skills.
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Trastorno del Espectro Autista/diagnóstico , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/psicología , Desarrollo Infantil , Comunicación , Habilidades Sociales , Adolescente , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Niño , Desarrollo Infantil/fisiología , Preescolar , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Grupo Paritario , Ajuste Social , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
This study characterizes longitudinal change in adaptive behavior in 64 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without intellectual disability evaluated on multiple occasions, and examines whether prior estimate of executive function (EF) problems predicts future adaptive behavior scores. Compared to standardized estimates for their developmental stage, adaptive behavior in most participants was impaired and did not improve over time. Prior EF predicted later adaptive behavior in daily living skills and socialization domains after controlling for age and IQ. Self-monitoring behaviors robustly predicted later adaptive behavior in all domains (d = 0.60-0.94). Results support targeting treatment of adaptive skills in ASD, as well as the importance of assessing for EF problems that may contribute to adaptive behavior difficulties.
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Adaptación Psicológica , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/psicología , Función Ejecutiva , Actividades Cotidianas , Adolescente , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Estudios Longitudinales , Masculino , Autocontrol/psicología , SocializaciónRESUMEN
Although executive functioning (EF) difficulties are well documented among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little is known about real-world measures of EF among adults with ASD. Therefore, this study examined parent-reported real-world EF problems among 35 adults with ASD without intellectual disability and their correlations with adaptive functioning and co-morbid anxiety and depression symptomatology. A variable EF profile was found with prominent deficits occurring in flexibility and metacognition. Flexibility problems were associated with anxiety-related symptoms while metacognition difficulties were associated with depression symptoms and impaired adaptive functioning (though the metacognition-adaptive functioning relationship was moderated by ADHD symptoms). These persistent EF problems are predictors of broader functioning and therefore remain an important treatment target among adults with ASD.
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Adaptación Psicológica , Ansiedad/psicología , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/psicología , Depresión/psicología , Función Ejecutiva , Adaptación Psicológica/fisiología , Adolescente , Adulto , Ansiedad/diagnóstico , Ansiedad/epidemiología , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/diagnóstico , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/epidemiología , Comorbilidad , Depresión/diagnóstico , Depresión/epidemiología , Función Ejecutiva/fisiología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
This study (a) examined the role of anger rumination as a mediator of the relation between social anxiety and the experience of anger, hostility, and aggression, in the general population, and (b) evaluated the degree to which the presence of autism spectrum disorder characteristics moderates the indirect influence of anger rumination. We then explored whether social cognition and perseveration characteristic of autism spectrum disorder uniquely accounted for the predicted moderation. In this survey study of young adults (n = 948), anger rumination mediated the relation between social anxiety and hostility, as well as verbal and physical aggression, as predicted. Greater autism spectrum disorder characteristics augmented the effect of social anxiety on hostility and physical aggression by increasing the effect of anger rumination, but not by increasing the effect of social anxiety on anger rumination. Implications for developing treatment approaches that target hostility and aggression among young adults who may not be formally diagnosed but have characteristics of autism spectrum disorder are discussed.
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Agresión/psicología , Ira , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/psicología , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Estudiantes/psicología , Estudiantes/estadística & datos numéricos , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Almost half of all children with autism spectrum disorder have average cognitive abilities, yet outcome remains poor. Because outcome in HFASD is more related to adaptive behavior skills than cognitive level it is important to identify predictors of adaptive behavior. This study examines cognitive and demographic factors related to adaptive behavior, with specific attention to the role of executive function (EF) in youth with HFASD aged 4-23. There was a negative relationship between age and adaptive behavior and the discrepancy between IQ and adaptive behavior increased with age. EF problems contributed to lower adaptive behavior scores across domains. As such, it is important to target adaptive skills, and the EF problems that may contribute to them, in youth with HFASD.
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Adaptación Psicológica , Envejecimiento/psicología , Trastorno del Espectro Autista/psicología , Función Ejecutiva , Adolescente , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Pruebas de Inteligencia , Masculino , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Recent updates have been proposed to the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 Module 4 diagnostic algorithm. This new algorithm, however, has not yet been validated in an independent sample without intellectual disability (ID). This multi-site study compared the original and revised algorithms in individuals with ASD without ID. The revised algorithm demonstrated increased sensitivity, but lower specificity in the overall sample. Estimates were highest for females, individuals with a verbal IQ below 85 or above 115, and ages 16 and older. Best practice diagnostic procedures should include the Module 4 in conjunction with other assessment tools. Balancing needs for sensitivity and specificity depending on the purpose of assessment (e.g., clinical vs. research) and demographic characteristics mentioned above will enhance its utility.
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Algoritmos , Trastorno Autístico/diagnóstico , Adolescente , Adulto , Niño , Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de los Trastornos Mentales , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though academically capable, can have difficulty succeeding in college. Evidence-based intervention to promote effective problem solving may improve quality of life, as well as success and satisfaction in college. This study adapted and piloted a group-based cognitive-behavioral intervention program, Problem Solving Skills: 101 (PSS: 101), to teach effective problem solving ability in college students with ASD. Therapists met all treatment integrity objectives across sessions, four of the five participants completed at least eight of the nine sessions, and between-session assignments were generally completed (83 % completion rate), indicating a high level of treatment adherence. Two participants demonstrated reliable improvement post-intervention in problem solving ability and subjective distress. Further evaluation to assess efficacy of the intervention is warranted.
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Trastornos Generalizados del Desarrollo Infantil/terapia , Terapia Cognitivo-Conductual/métodos , Solución de Problemas , Estudiantes/psicología , Adolescente , Humanos , Masculino , Universidades , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
The present study examined the degree to which social anxiety predicts aggression in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD, n = 20) compared to children with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD, n = 20) or with Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Conduct Disorder (ODD/CD, n = 20). As predicted, children with HFASD reported levels of humiliation/rejection fears commensurate with children with SAD and exhibited aggression at levels commensurate with ODD/CD, and a curvilinear relationship between social fears and aggression was found in the HFASD group only. Results indicate the possibility of an optimal level of social-evaluative fears that is unique for children with HFASD; too little social fear or too much may contribute to problems with aggression.