Effortful Control and Executive Functioning In Children with ASD

Background: Despite increased interest in the role of Effortful Control (EC) in developmental disorders, few studies have focused on EC in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Objectives: A first aim of the current study was to compare children with ASD and typically developing children (TD) in their ability to regulate attention and behavior. Secondly, we want to examine the relationship between EC levels and symptom expression in ASD.  Finally, we want to investigate the relationship between EC and other, conceptually overlapping, inhibition constructs.

Methods:  Participants. 54 children (11-15 years, all boys with a FSIQ of 80 or higher) participated. 27 children had ASD and 27 were TD controls.

Instruments. EC was measured using the Effortful Control Scale (ECS; Lonigan & Phillips, 2001), the Attentional Control Scale (ACS; Derryberry & Reed, 2002) and the EC scale of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire (EATQ-R; Rothbart, 2001). ASD symptoms were evaluated using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; Constantino & Gruber, 2005). Inhibition was assessed by means of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Gioia, Isquith, Guy & Kenworthy, 2000), a stroop task and a go/no-go task.

Results:  Group differences in EC. Children with ASD scored lower than their TD peers on EC total scores. The ASD group did not differ from the TD group on self-reported levels of persistence, impulsivity and activation control.

EC and ASD symptoms. All EC scales except the ECS subscales and the EATQ-R Activation Control scale, were negatively related to ASD symptom levels.

EC and executive functioning. There were no significant correlations between EC levels and Interference Control (IC) as measured by the stroop task. Only parent-rated EC and self-reported attention focusing (ACS) were positively related to the number of false alarms made in a go/no go task. We found significant correlations between EC scores and scores on all BRIEF subscales, with lower levels of EC being associated with more difficulties in executive functioning.

Conclusions: Analyses are still in progress, but preliminary results are to a large extent in accordance with previous research. Children with ASD showed lower levels of EC than their TD peers, suggesting that children with ASD are less able than TD children, to regulate their behavior and attention when needed. Also, higher EC levels were associated with lower levels of ASD symptoms. Considering the conceptual overlap between EC and other inhibition constructs, we expected to find a significant relationship between EC levels and scores/performance on the measures tapping executive functions, inhibition and IC. As expected, EC scores significantly correlated with executive functions as measured by the BRIEF, suggesting that these measures may tap the same/similar underlying construct(s). However, preliminary results did not show a consistent relationship between the EC scales and performance on neuropsychological measures. This lack of correlation could possibly be explained by differences in type of measurement. Results suggest that questionnaires and neuropsychological tasks may not be interchangeable when measuring EC.