Executive function deficits in non-retarded autistic children.

Chen et al. (2001) gave the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test to autistic children with normal IQ. They compared scores to matched kids without autism.

The test asks children to sort cards by color, shape, or number. After each sort, the rule changes without warning. Kids must notice the new rule and switch strategies.

Autistic children scored worse on almost every WCST measure. They made more errors and struggled to shift rules even though their IQ was in the normal range.

The gap shows that executive-function trouble in autism is not just due to low intelligence.

Kaland et al. (2008) ran the same test on a computer and saw the same poor scores. Ozonoff et al. (2004) later found similar deficits on a different test of planning and shifting. These studies form a clear line: autistic people often struggle with flexible thinking.

Wilkinson et al. (1998) seems to disagree. They said autistic kids can shift attention fine and blamed WCST errors on trouble disengaging focus. The difference is tiny: both groups see a shifting problem, but M et al. point to attention disengagement as the cause rather than a global shifting deficit.

Braden et al. (2017) and Kenny et al. (2022) push the finding forward. The deficit lasts into middle age and shows up most on open-ended tasks that give little structure.

You now have twenty-plus years of evidence that rule shifting is hard for many autistic learners, even bright ones. When you teach a new routine or ask a client to change strategies, build in extra cues, visual prompts, and practice trials. Do not assume normal IQ means flexible thinking is in place.