Specificity of executive function and theory of mind performance in relation to attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms in autism spectrum disorders.
Steve Lukito, Catherine R G Jones, Andrew Pickles and 4 others
PMID 29152165WHAT IT FOUND
In adolescents with autism, executive function difficulties tracked with ADHD symptoms, while theory of mind difficulties tracked with autism symptoms.
These links held after controlling for IQ and shared parent reporting biases, suggesting distinct cognitive profiles for each symptom domain.
Key findings
01Poorer executive function was associated with increased ADHD symptoms, while poorer theory of mind was associated with increased autism symptoms.
02The correlation between autism and ADHD symptoms was largely explained by shared variance in parent ratings rather than a direct link between the two domains.
03These specific associations between cognitive domains and symptoms remained significant even after controlling for full-scale IQ.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was restricted to individuals with an FSIQ of 50 or higher, so findings do not generalize to those with more significant intellectual disability. There was a very small number of female participants (9 out of 100), limiting generalizability to girls and women with autism. The study design is cross-sectional in analysis despite data collection over time, so it cannot establish causality between cognitive deficits and symptom severity. The study lacked a comparison group of individuals with ADHD alone, so it could not directly test if the cognitive profiles are identical to those in pure ADHD.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Medical Research Council. No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of correlation between autism and ADHD symptoms in the final model as evidence that the two conditions rarely co-occur. The correlation disappeared only when accounting for shared parent reporting bias, meaning the apparent link in questionnaires may be partly artifactual, but clinical co-occurrence remains a valid and distinct phenomenon supported by the separate cognitive associations found.