Exploratory Study of Executive Function Abilities Across the Adult Lifespan in Individuals Receiving an ASD Diagnosis in Adulthood.

The study is cross-sectional, so it can only link age and scores at one time point, not show change over time. No control group was assessed; scores were compared with age norms, so a true age-related difference versus typical adults cannot be confirmed. Only four participants were older than 60, so findings for older adults are unstable; excluding them changed several age correlations. All participants had IQ in the normal range and no intellectual disability, so this does not represent the whole autism spectrum. The analysed sample was 134 adults, while 454 adults were referred to the service, so many referred individuals are not represented. The sample was a convenience sample from a diagnostic clinic and the study was exploratory, with no correction for multiple comparisons, so some findings may be chance. Current medication use was not recorded and could affect executive function performance. Diagnosis was made by a clinical team without a standardised research-level assessment such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Depression and anxiety data were available for only 73 participants, and mood analyses are therefore less complete. The age correlations that were significant were low to moderate, and the overall executive function composite did not show an age association. Individual IQ scores were not available, although WAIS subtest means suggested average ability.

Do not conclude that executive function improves with age in adults diagnosed with autism in adulthood. The overall executive function score did not show an age association, only four participants were over 60, the study compared scores with age norms rather than a control group, and it was exploratory without correction for multiple comparisons.