Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder in which “executive functions” are affected. In conjunction with this book's overall scope, this chapter establishes a multidisciplinary context to discuss intervention and best practices affecting ASD. This chapter aims to tie together the history, cognitive functioning awareness, theoretical underpinnings, and assessment of executive functions in ASD. The authors will also provide a detailed and up-to-date understanding of recent research that connects childhood ASD to executive dysfunctions. Additionally, this chapter will also provide an understanding of existing intervention strategies from psychoeducational to psychological domains as pertains to executive functioning in ASD.
TopIntroduction
As childhood Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) continue to be on the rise, this chapter entitled “Executive Functions in Childhood Autism Spectrum Disorders - Research, Intervention, Psychoeducation, and Application of Multidisciplinary Approaches” will focus on these main needed areas of inquiry and exploration. It is essential that mental health and health practitioners, educators, human service professionals, and scholars alike continue to update their knowledge using present empirical studies for application in the field. Moreover, knowledge on Executive Functioning (E.F.) as connected to ASDs in childhood is necessary to be examined and updated for further understanding and awareness in practice (Sahin et al., 2019; Silva & Teixeira, 2019). E.F. is a mental skill set that includes working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. We use these skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life. Trouble with executive function can make it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions, among other things (Demetriou et al., 2019; Sahin et al., 2019). Working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control are the foundational, categorized, and diagnosed deficits in ASD literature, based on E.F. foundations. These symptoms can range in severity based upon the individual child, comorbidities, and functioning, as not one individual with ASD is the same neurodevelopmentally. Additionally, there are restrictive and repetitive behaviors that are associated with ASDs. These are neurodevelopmentally different in each individual. Therefore, a wide range of E.F. symptomology is commonly seen in consideration of linking certain symptoms of ASD with executive functions themselves (Anderson et al., 2018; Demetriou et al., 2019: Ho et al., 2017; Sahin et al., 2019). In a study done at the University of British Columbia (2021), 44.8 percent of ASD diagnosed preschool-aged children were found to have mental health comorbidities. The magnitude of the issue of connection of comorbidity and the high rate of ASDs among that age group had not been previously established. This research, using a large, population-based sample is relevant to note considering rate of comorbidity attached to early preschool-aged children with Autism. This study is significant in noticing the early childhood interplay of ASDs with comorbid attachment and E.F. underpinning that is germane to early intervention needs, updates, and an overarching necessity for additional research.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Social Skills: A set of learned abilities that enable an individual to interact competently and appropriately in a given social context.
COVID- 19 Pandemic: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an illness caused by a novel coronavirus now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; formerly called 2019-nCoV), which was first identified amid an outbreak of respiratory illness cases in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. It was initially reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019. On January 30, 2020, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global health emergency. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, its first such designation since declaring H1N1 influenza a pandemic in 2009.
Interprofessional Relations: Collaborative relationships and efforts in and among different professions.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA): Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the practice of applying the psychological principles of learning theory in a systematic way to modify behavior. The practice is used most extensively in special education and in the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but also in healthcare, animal training, and even business. ABA is widely recognized as the only scientifically valid therapy available for treating behavioral issues associated with ASD.
Psychoeducation: Combines psychotherapy with education to help participants deal with a targeted problem in their life.
Cognition: The states and processes involved in knowing, which in their completeness include perception and judgment. Cognition includes all conscious and unconscious processes by which knowledge is accumulated, such as perceiving, recognizing, conceiving, and reasoning. Put differently, cognition is a state or experience of knowing that can be distinguished from an experience of feeling or willing.
Collaboration: A group problem-solving process that requires the creative integration of needs and joint ownership of decisions. It involves working in teams, coalitions, alliances, partnerships and networks. It involves trust and consensus building. It allows different professions to contribute simultaneously.
Multimodal: Characterized by several different modes of activity or occurrence.
Intervention: The act of interfering with the outcome or course especially of a condition or process (as to prevent harm or improve functioning).
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): Is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness. Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life. In many studies, CBT has been demonstrated to be as effective as, or more effective than, other forms of psychological therapy or psychiatric medications.
Executive Functioning (EF): Is a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. We use these skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life. Trouble with executive function can make it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions, among other things.
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Is a complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviors.
Multidisciplinary: Combining or involving several academic disciplines or professional specializations in an approach to a topic or problem.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): AAC is an area of clinical practice that addresses the needs of individuals with significant and complex communication disorders characterized by impairments in speech-language production and/or comprehension, including spoken and written modes of communication.