29879
Emergent Executive Function Amongst Two-Year-Olds with and without a Familial History of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Poster Presentation
Thursday, May 2, 2019: 5:30 PM-7:00 PM
Room: 710 (Palais des congres de Montreal)
A. Hendry1, T. Bazelmans2, M. Ersoy3, G. Pasco4, M. H. Johnson5 and &. the BASIS Team6, (1)Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, (2)King's College London, London, United Kingdom, (3)Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, (4)Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom, (5)Centre of Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, United Kingdom, (6)Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck University of London, London, United Kingdom
Background: Executive Function (EF) underpins the ability to work towards goals by co-ordinating thought and action. Children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience EF difficulties but it is not known whether these are primary or secondary to ASD. Research with young children with a familial history of ASD (‘ASD-siblings’) affords the possibility of investigating how early differences in EF development relate to ASD traits, but until now has been hampered by a scarcity of suitable measures of emergent EF.

Objectives: To identify associations between EF and ASD traits at their earliest emergence.

Methods: Fifty-nine 2-year-old ASD-siblings and 22 2-year-olds with no familial history of ASD completed a behavioural measure of impulse control (Prohibition), a touchscreen working memory game (Delayed Alternation), and a problem-solving task that elicits variation in generativity, perseveration and persistence (Problem-Solving Box). Parents reported on EF-related aspects of temperament (Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire; ECBQ) and ASD traits (Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers; Q-Chat), and toddlers were assessed using the Toddler Module of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Second Edition (ADOS-2).

Results: Two-year-olds demonstrating low impulse control on the Prohibition task had higher ADOS-2 Restricted and Repetitive Behaviours (RRB) scores than two-year-olds with high impulse control (U = 223, p = .013). Lower parent-reported impulse control (ECBQ Inhibitory Control) was associated with more parent-reported ASD traits in the social-communication domain (r = -.355, p = .006) and higher ADOS-2 Social Affect (SA) scores (rs = -.414, p = .001). No significant associations were found between Delayed Alternation performance and ASD trait scores. Greater perseveration on the Problem-Solving Box was associated with more parent-reported RRBs (r =.302, p = .046). Persistence positively correlated with ADOS-2 RRB score (rs = .317, p = .021). No significant associations were found between generativity and ASD trait scores. Lower parent-reported attentional control (ECBQ Attention Shifting) was associated with more parent-reported ASD traits in both the social-communication (r = -.729, p <.001) and RRB domains (r = -.351, p =.006) and with ADOS-2 SA scores (rs = -.302, p =.020). The ASD-sibling group did not significantly differ from the control group on any EF measure, and all estimated group differences were small.

Conclusions: ASD traits are linked to variation in EF from as early as 2 years, in both the social-communication and RRB domains. These findings run counter to ‘secondary-deficit’ accounts that suggest difficulties with EF cannot be observed until after behavioural symptoms of ASD are well-established. Consistent with the literature that working memory difficulties are linked with developmental delay and not ASD specifically, in this study working memory performance did not associate with ASD traits.

Our results indicate that toddlers with ASD traits may benefit from interventions to support the development of attentional and behavioural control. Interventions should take into account strengths as well as difficulties associated with ASD traits – such as our finding that greater RRBs are associated with greater persistence.

See more of: Early Development (< 48 months)
See more of: Early Development (< 48 months)