Autism Traits Predict Self-reported Executive Functioning Deficits in Everyday Life and an Aversion to Exercise.
Lauren A Mason, Brandon M Zimiga, Regina Anders-Jefferson and 1 others
PMID 33043413WHAT IT FOUND
Students with more autism traits reported worse everyday executive function but performed normally on lab tests.
They exercised less, citing mental fatigue and lack of skill. Self-report measures captured deficits that performance tasks missed.
Key findings
01Autism traits were associated with self-reported executive function deficits, but not with performance on laboratory-based executive function tasks.
02Higher autism traits were associated with less physical activity and lower self-rated team sports ability.
03Participants with high autism traits reported more reasons preventing exercise, specifically mental fatigue, lack of skill, and not enjoying the activity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used a non-clinical sample of university students with autism traits, not individuals with a diagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder, so findings may not generalize to clinical populations. The sample was heavily female (69%), which may limit generalizability given the higher prevalence of autism diagnoses in males. The study relied on cross-sectional correlations, so it cannot determine whether executive function deficits cause exercise aversion or vice versa. Performance-based tasks may lack ecological validity and fail to capture real-world executive function challenges.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that individuals with autism traits have no executive function deficits simply because they perform normally on computerized laboratory tasks. The study found that self-reported deficits in everyday life were significant while lab performance was not, suggesting the two measure different constructs.