Executive function predicts the development of play skills for verbal preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders.
Susan Faja, Geraldine Dawson, Katherine Sullivan and 3 others
PMID 26890821WHAT IT FOUND
In preschoolers with autism, early executive function predicted later play only in children with higher language ability.
In children with lower language ability, later play and executive function were best predicted by nonverbal cognitive ability.
Key findings
01Among children with higher initial language ability, early executive function predicted later play beyond initial play, age, and nonverbal cognitive ability.
02Among children with lower initial language ability, later play was best predicted by concurrent nonverbal cognitive ability and earlier play, and early executive function did not account for additional variance.
03In the higher-language group, early play did not predict later executive function, and none of the variables predicted later executive function.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The analyses were not corrected for multiple comparisons, so the authors say the results should be interpreted with caution and replicated. The language groups were defined by a floor-score cutoff on Mullen Expressive and Receptive Language T-scores, which the authors describe as somewhat arbitrary. Executive function tasks had to suit a wide developmental range, so some children performed at floor or ceiling, and general cognitive ability may appear more important for those children. Play was measured in a narrow lab-based task, so it may not capture play in familiar settings or with other toys. The play score focused on whether target actions occurred, not on spontaneity, playfulness, or quality. Eight children who provided data at the first time point did not provide complete data at the second and were excluded.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving executive function will improve play in all children with autism. The study only found that early executive function predicted later play in the higher-language group; in the lower-language group, executive function did not add to prediction.