An Exploratory Study of Executive Function Development in Children with Autism, after Receiving Early Intensive Behavioral Training

ABSTRACT

Objective: To examine the development of executive functions, in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), receiving early intensive behavioral training (EIBI).

Method: Executive functions (EF) were assessed with The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Preschool Version (BRIEF-P), by parents and preschool teachers at the time of diagnostic assessment and after 15 months of EIBI intervention. Ten children with ASD (M = 2.9 years, nine males) participated in the study. Reliable Change Index scores were computed for each of the participants in order to investigate any significant change in BRIEF-P T-scores.

Results: Three children showed a significant improvement in EF, based on parent ratings. Four children showed a significant improvement in EF based on preschool teacher ratings.

Conclusion: Findings indicating a reliable improvement in one third of preschool children with ASD receiving EIBI are encouraging but need to be replicated in larger scale controlled studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Autism
• children
• early intensive behavioral training
• executive functions
• brief
• reliable change index

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the parents, children and staff at the Habilitation Clinic at Lillehammer, Norway for their contributions to making this project possible.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest with respect to the authorship or publication of this article.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

Skogli’s authorship was supported financially by the Innlandet Hospital Trust (grant number 150610). Andersen’s efforts were supported by the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.Isaksen’s efforts were supported by the Innlandet Hospital Trust and Inland Norway, University of Applied Sciences.