RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: There is a wealth of research done in developed countries on the investigation of the working memory (WM) performance in people with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (IQ>70), with different reported findings. There is a dearth of similar studies in developing countries. In addition, the findings suggest that WM is possibly influenced by culture. The present study investigated WM performance and its relationship with the symptoms of ASD and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). METHODS: The present study is a cross-sectional comparative study between two groups of participants with high-functioning ASD, aged 8-16 years (n=30) and typically developing (n=30). This study was conducted in 2016-2017 in Tehran (Iran). The Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVA) was used to compare the between-group differences on WM tasks. In addition, Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between the ASD and ADHD symptoms with WM performance. The data were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 16. RESULTS: It was found that in general, WM was impaired in the people with ASD. Unexpectedly, in the present study, two subscales of Social interaction and Stereotyped Behaviors of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition showed a significant positive correlation respectively with a score of two WM tasks, i.e. Visual Digit Span and Digit Span Forward. CONCLUSION: These results showed that WM was impaired in individuals with ASD and that could have implications for intervention, but it is necessary that therapists be careful in choosing the appropriate tasks for intervention.
RESUMEN
Background: Past studies have documented working memory impairment in participants with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (IQ>70), but inconsistent findings have been reported. One possibility is the existence of verbal responses in the evaluation of working memory performance. The aim of the current study is to examine the working memory performance and its correlation with a prominent deficit in participants with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders by non-verbal working memory tasks compared with typically developing samples. Methods: The current study is a cross-sectional, comparative study. The working memory performance of the 30 participants with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (7-16 years) and 30 typically developing was compared by working memory subtests of the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised in Tehran, Iran. Two groups were matched for age and gender. ANOVA, ANCOVA, repeated measures ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data statistically. The significance value was set at p<0.05. Results: The results showed that if the effect of FSIQ (full-scale intelligence quotient) were controlled individuals with highfunctioning Autism Spectrum Disorders exhibited significant impairment in the Reverse Memory subtest (p=0.001). Also, unpredictably Forward Memory (r=0.38, p=0.03) and Reverse Memory tasks (r=0.38, p=0.03) displayed a significant positive correlation with the Social interaction subscale of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (Second Edition). Conclusion: It seems that nonverbal working memory is impaired in persons with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders. Results of the current study revealed that factors like complexity and cognitive load of tasks may influence working memory performance in individuals with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders.
RESUMEN
Background: The paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) was primarily developed to assess the effects of traumatic brain injury on cognitive functioning. Working memory (WM) is one of the most important aspects of cognitive function, and WM impairment is one of the clinically remarkable signs of aphasia. To develop the Persian version of PASAT, an initial version was used in individuals with aphasia (IWA). Methods: In this study, 25 individuals with aphasia (29-60 years) and 85 controls (18-60 years) were included. PASAT was presented in the form of recorded 61 single-digit numbers (1 to 9). The participants repeatedly added the 2 recent digits. The psychometric properties of PASAT including convergent validity (using the digit memory span tasks), divergent validity (using results in the control group and IWA group), and face validity were investigated. Test-retest reliability was considered as well. Results: The relationship between the PASAT and digit memory span tests was moderate to strong in the control group (forward digit memory span test: r= 0.52, p< 0.0001; backward digit memory span test: r = 0.48, p< 0.0001). A strong relationship was found in IWA (forward digit memory span test: r= 0.72, p< 0.0001; backward digit memory span test: r= 0.53, p= 0.006). Also, strong testretest reliability (intraclass correlation= 0.95, p< 0.0001) was observed. Conclusion: According to our results, the PASAT is a valid and reliable test to assess working memory, particularly in IWA. It could be used as a feasible tool for clinical and research applications.