Slow but steady: similarities and differences in executive functioning between autistic and non‐autistic adults

Jertberg, R. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4077-9077, Begeer, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0572-6893, Geurts, H. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4824-9660, Chakrabarti, B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6649-7895 and Van der Burg, E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2522-7925 (2025) Slow but steady: similarities and differences in executive functioning between autistic and non‐autistic adults. Autism Research, 18 (4). pp. 802-819. ISSN 1939-3806 doi: 10.1002/aur.70015

Abstract/Summary

Prior research has established differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals across the domains of executive function (EF). While some early theories portrayed these differences as universal to the autism spectrum, recent findings have been quite mixed. Factors like small samples, the components of EF being measured, and the age and intelligence quotient (IQ) of those being compared may contribute to this diversity in results. Moreover, research suggests performance over time might fluctuate in different patterns for autistic and non-autistic individuals. To test EF differences and the possible influence of these factors upon them, we recruited a sample of over 900 autistic and non-autistic participants (with generally average/above average IQ levels) from 18 to 77 years of age. They completed a battery of tasks measuring inhibition, cognitive flexibility, working memory, and attentional orienting to social and nonsocial cues. We found that performance was similar between groups in our primary measures of EF, although autistic participants were consistently slower, more susceptible to the effects of spatial cueing, and more prone to certain errors in the working memory task. Differences between groups were generally not influenced by participants' age, gender, or IQ. Performance over time varied only in the working memory task. While autistic adults may still face related challenges in real life, these findings suggest that being autistic does not necessarily imply executive dysfunction on a basic cognitive level, contradicting theories assuming universal impairments therein. Moreover, the lack of influence of included demographic factors suggests that explanations for discrepancies in the literature lie elsewhere.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/122144
Identification Number/DOI	10.1002/aur.70015
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) Interdisciplinary centres and themes > ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) Research Network Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Psychopathology and Affective Neuroscience
Publisher	Wiley
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