Executive Functioning in Everyday Life in Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT

Problems with executive function (EF) are considered a hallmark of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, little is known about the developmental pathway of everyday EF in these two groups, and whether the two groups follow a similar or different developmental course. In this longitudinal study, children and adolescents with ADHD (n = 84, M_age = 11.6, SD = 2.0), ASD (n = 38, M_age = 12.0, SD = 2.3), and typically developing children (TDC; n = 50, M_age = 11.6, SD = 2.0) were clinically diagnosed and assessed with parent-ratings of everyday EF at baseline and at two-year follow-up (97% retention). Results showed that both individuals with ADHD and individuals with ASD displayed elevated levels of everyday EF problems relative to the TDC at baseline (Hedges g = 1.99 to 2.99). Over the two-year period, everyday EF improved in individuals with ADHD relative to the TDC, whereas individuals with ASD displayed no improvement relative to the TDC. At two-year follow-up, individuals with ADHD and individuals with ASD continued to display elevated levels of everyday EF problems relative to the TDC (Hedges g = 1.61 to 3.19).

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• BRIEF
• children
• executive functions

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the participants for taking part in this study.

Author Contributions

ES helped collect the data, managed the literature searches, undertook the preliminary statistical analyses, interpreted the data, and wrote the first draft of the current manuscript. PA helped collect the data, interpret the data, and revised the current manuscript critically. SO contributed to writing – reviewing and editing. KH helped collect the data and revised the current manuscript critically. MØ contributed with project management, funding acquisition, helped interpret the data and revised the current manuscript critically. All consented to their names on the final manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript

Ethics

All parents/caregivers and participants above 12 years gave written informed consent in accordance with the Research Ethics Committee in Eastern Norway. All children under the age of 12 years provided verbal consent to participate. The study was approved by the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics in Eastern Norway (REK-Øst 6-2009-24), and by the Privacy protection ombudsman for research at Innlandet Hospital Trust. It was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association Assembly.

Ethical Approval

This study was prospectively reviewed and approved by the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics in Eastern Norway (REK 6-2009-24) and the Privacy Ombudsman for Research at Innlandet Hospital Trust. The studies were conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association Assembly.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2022.2095360

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from Innlandet Hospital Trust [grant numbers: 150610, and 150648] and from NevSom, Department of Rare Disorders and Disabilities, Oslo University Hospital.