Associations Among Symptoms of Autism, Symptoms of Depression and Executive Functions in Children with High-Functioning Autism: A 2 Year Follow-Up Study.
In school-age kids with HFA, parent-reported depression can drop and thinking skills can rise even when autism symptoms stay put.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tracked the kids with high-functioning autism for two years.
Parents and kids filled out forms about mood, behavior, and daily skills.
No therapy was given; the team just watched how things changed over time.
What they found
Parents said their children’s depression dropped, but the kids themselves did not agree.
Autism symptoms stayed the same, while memory and planning skills got a little better.
When depression eased, thinking skills also improved, hinting the two are linked.
How this fits with other research
Moore et al. (2003) and Amore et al. (2011) already showed autism labels stay steady; Andersen et al. (2015) now adds that mood and thinking skills can still shift.
Cox et al. (2015) found CBT cuts anxiety and the gains last; Normann’s work shows depression can also improve without therapy, so both studies point to real change over time.
Rivard et al. (2019) saw autism symptoms bounce back after low-intensity EIBI, while Normann saw them stay flat—this apparent contradiction is explained by the fact that Normann had no active treatment, so symptoms simply followed their natural course.
Why it matters
You can reassure families that autism traits may stay while mood and thinking skills can still get better. Track both parent and child reports on depression, because they may not match. If you target either mood or executive skills, you might help the other area too.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study investigated the course of and association among changes in autism symptoms, depression symptoms and executive functions (EF) in children with high-functioning autism (HFA). Thirty-four children with HFA and 45 typically developing children (age 9-16) were assessed at baseline and after 2 years. Children with HFA had impaired scores on all measures at both time points. According to parent reports, depressive symptoms decreased over time, while EF improved and autism symptoms were stable. Children's reports did not reveal less depressive symptoms over time. A positive association was found only between changes in autism symptoms and changes in symptoms of depression. A possible implication is that interventions aimed at either autism symptoms or symptoms of depression may improve the other.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2015 · doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2415-8