Executive Functions in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Grade 1 and 2, vs. Neurotypical Development: A School View.
Grade 1-the students with autism show broad executive-function gaps, so plan for extra structure and clear task switches.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Teachers filled out the BRIEF-2 form for 60 Grade 1 and the students. Half had autism at support levels 1-2. Half were neurotypical classmates.
The survey asked about everyday skills like switching tasks, holding rules in mind, and stopping impulses. No extra tests or training were given.
What they found
Kids with autism scored much worse on every executive-function area. The biggest gaps were in flexibility and working memory.
Even the 'mild' autism group (level 1) showed clear daily problems. Teachers saw these issues in regular class work.
How this fits with other research
Aspiranti et al. (2019) showed the Color Wheel classroom system cuts disruptive behavior in self-contained autism rooms. Gandhi et al. (2022) now shows why that help is needed: the same age group has wide executive-function deficits.
Paff et al. (2019) built the EBP-COM to track how often teachers use evidence-based practices. Pairing it with the BRIEF-2 could link teaching moves to real-time executive gains.
Kodak et al. (2022) found a quick pre-test predicts who will fail auditory-visual drills. Gandhi et al. (2022) hint that poor flexibility scores might flag these kids before you start tough tasks.
Why it matters
If you work with early-elementary students with autism, expect weak flexibility and working memory even when support needs look low. Use short clear routines, visual schedules, and extra switch cues. Combine these with classroom management tools like the Color Wheel and quick pre-assessments to keep tasks doable and behavior calm.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
<h4>Background</h4>Autism spectrum disorders are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social and communication functioning. Previous studies suggest that people with autism spectrum disorders have deficits in executive functions, having found a relationship with cognitive flexibility, planning, working memory, inhibition or self-control, but it is especially with respect to cognitive flexibility where the greatest dysfunctions have been found. The objective of this research was to compare the executive functioning of a group of children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders with another with neurotypical development in an educational context.<h4>Methods</h4>This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and multicenter confirmatory study in which 121 people who participated acted as informants, with 70 of them being education professionals who work with people with autism spectrum disorders grade 1 and 2 and 51 of them being teachers who work with people of neurotypical development; these individuals were selected through non-probabilistic sampling.<h4>Results</h4>People diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders obtained significantly higher scores on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2 scale for the nine clinical scales and the four indexes that compose it compared to the group of people with neurotypical development; in addition, the average scores obtained are clinically significant, with them being elevated for the group with autism spectrum disorders. This study confirms that children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders experience greater difficulties with respect to their executive functions than children with neurotypical development.
, 2022 · doi:10.3390/ijerph19137987