The effectiveness of an executive function program for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder
A tiny TIP curriculum taught every autistic child six executive-function skills parents can run at home.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Creem et al. (2024) built a short program that teaches six executive-function skills to autistic kids. The team used the Teaching Interaction Procedure: model, practice, feedback, and praise. Three children learned the skills at home with their parents running the lessons.
What they found
Every child mastered all six skills, such as stopping an action or switching tasks. Most kept the skills weeks later and used them in new places, like school or the store. Gains were not perfect, but they were clear enough to see on graphs.
How this fits with other research
Hood et al. (2022) and Persicke et al. (2023) also taught three autistic kids complex skills with behavioral packages. Their results match Creem’s: short, rule-based lessons can work for higher-order goals.
Kalbfleisch et al. (2012) showed that autistic kids with verbal IQ edges have milder EF problems. Creem’s study moves from describing the gap to closing it with direct teaching.
Sawyer et al. (2014) used a parent-run app to cut stereotypy. Creem uses parents too, but targets EF instead of behavior reduction. Both studies show parents can deliver tech or TIP lessons at home.
Why it matters
You can copy the six-skill TIP package in about 30 minutes a week. Start with one skill, such as stop-and-think, and run five quick trials each night. Parents like the short steps and the praise-heavy feedback. If you need an EF tool that fits into home programs, this pilot gives you a ready script.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractAutistics/individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly display deficits in executive functioning. These deficits negatively impact social success and the autistic's/individual with ASD's ability to form meaningful friendships. Yet, there is limited research provided for the effective teaching of executive functioning skills to autistics/individuals with ASD. The current study provides an evidence‐based behavior analytic approach for developing executive functioning skills for autistics/individuals diagnosed with ASD. The study also provides the preliminary steps to creating a curriculum that is easy to implement and uses minimal resources. Finally, the study extends current literature on the Teaching Interaction Procedure (TIP) and evaluates the effectiveness of the TIP for developing executive functioning skills for older children diagnosed with ASD. The executive function program resulted in acquisition of all six targeted executive functioning skills for all the participants. While generalization and maintenance data were slightly variable across participants, all three participants displayed improvement in executive functioning skills following the implementation of the executive function program and a social validity assessment indicated that the participants were satisfied with the skills taught, the treatment, and the outcomes.
Behavioral Interventions, 2024 · doi:10.1002/bin.2023