Executive functioning and neurodevelopmental disorders in early childhood: a prospective population-based study

Abstract

BackgroundExecutive functioning deficits are common in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, prior research mainly focused on clinical populations employing cross-sectional designs, impeding conclusions on temporal neurodevelopmental pathways. Here, we examined the prospective association of executive functioning with subsequent autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits.MethodsThis study included young children from the Generation R Study, a general population birth cohort. The Brief Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version was used to assess parent-reported behavioral executive functioning when the children were 4 years old. ASD traits were assessed at age 6 (n = 3938) using the parent-reported Social Responsiveness Scale. The Teacher Report Form was used to assess ADHD traits at age 7 (n = 2749). Children with high scores were screened to determine possible clinical ASD or ADHD diagnoses. We were able to confirm an ASD diagnosis for n = 56 children by retrieving their medical records and established an ADHD diagnosis for n = 194 children using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Young Child version (DISC-YC). Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear and logistic regressions.ResultsImpaired executive functioning was associated with more ASD and ADHD traits across informants (for ASD traits and diagnoses: β = 0.33, 95% CI [0.30–0.37]; OR = 2.69, 95% CI [1.92–3.77], respectively; for ADHD traits and diagnoses: β = 0.12, 95% CI [0.07–0.16]; OR = 2.32, 95% CI [1.89–2.85], respectively). Deficits in all subdomains were associated with higher levels of ASD traits, whereas only impaired inhibition, working memory, and planning/organization were associated with more ADHD traits.ConclusionsThe findings of the current study suggest a graded association of executive functioning difficulties along the continuum of ASD and ADHD and that problems in executive functioning may be a precursor of ASD and ADHD traits from an early age onwards.

Bidirectional prediction between weight status and executive function in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of longitudinal studies

“…11 Deficits in EF could bring to school underachievement, emotional-behavioral problems, neurodevelopmental disorders, and poor physical health, including obesity. 12,13 However, the results from several studies of the relationship between obesity and EF were mixed and inconclusive. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Despite extensive systematic reviews and meta-analyses conducted in a wide range of ages, the direction of the relationship has not been conclusive.…”

The relationship between executive function, neurodevelopmental disorder traits, and academic achievement in university students

“…Furthermore, previous research has found evidence that executive function may be impaired in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (Otterman et al, 2019), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Christ et al, 2011;Adams and Jarrold, 2012;Murphy et al, 2014), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; Arnsten and Li, 2005;Wilens and Spencer, 2010), and developmental coordination disorder (DCD; Bernardi et al, 2017). Since difficulties with executive functioning predict poorer academic achievement (Zelazo and Carlson, 2020), and executive function impairments seem to occur in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, ADHD, and DCD (Holst and Thorell, 2019;Omer and Leonard, 2021), individuals with these conditions may be particularly at risk of academic underachievement.…”

Task-Rate-Related Neural Dynamics Using Wireless EEG to Assist Diagnosis and Intervention Planning for Preschoolers with ADHD Exhibiting Heterogeneous Cognitive Proficiency

“…Several studies have identified that school-aged children with ADHD show poorer performance in working memory and processing speed than in perceptual and verbal functional domains when compared with their peers of average intelligence [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Regarding preschool children, the deficits in varied executive functioning, including inhibition control, working memory, speed of processing, and planning/organization, may be general markers of ADHD [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. However, ADHD appears to be characterized by neurobehavioral heterogeneity both in preschool and school-age children; the subgroup of youths with ADHD may perform at a high level (as high as their neurotypical counterparts) on related tasks [ 32 , 34 , 39 ].…”