Brief report: cognitive flexibility and focused attention in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism as measured on the computerized version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.

Researchers gave kids with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism the same computerized card-sorting game used in clinics. They wanted to see if these kids could keep the sorting rule in mind and switch when the rule changed.

The team compared their scores with typically developing peers. They looked at how often kids lost track of the current rule mid-game.

The AS/HFA group broke off from the correct sorting pattern more often. They had trouble holding the current rule in mind, a sign of weaker focused attention.

The difference was big enough to show up in the statistics, not just a fluke.

Simpson et al. (2025) used eye-tracking during the same card task and saw autistic youth look away from errors, hinting they may not even notice mistakes. Kaland et al. (2008) only counted lost sets; the newer study adds why they lose them.

Weiss et al. (2001) seems to disagree. They found intact shifting in kids labeled Asperger's but problems in kids labeled high-functioning autism. The clash clears up when you see Nils et al. lumped both groups together, so the average looks worse.

Wilkinson et al. (1998) ran a similar computerized sort years earlier and said the real hitch is disengaging attention, not shifting rules. The 2008 paper backs that idea: kids could switch rules if they stayed on task, but they drifted off instead.

When you use sorting games or any rule-based work, plan for quick attention resets. Insert brief prompts, colored cues, or tiny breaks right after a rule change. These kids can shift, but only if they stay tuned in.