Executive Dysfunction Hypothesis of Autism

1
Executive Dysfunction Hypothesis of Autism
2
Definition

• The ability to maintain an appropriate
  problem-solving set for the attainment of a
  future goal it includes behaviours such as
  planning, impulse control, inhibition of
  prepotent but irrelevant responses, set
  maintenance, organized search, and flexibility of
  search and action. Ozonoff et al (1991)

3
Tower of Hanoi
4
Wisconsin Card Sort
5
Wisconsin Card Sort
Ozonoff et al found that poor performance on
tests of executive dysfunction was a more
accurate basis for discriminating between who was
an was not autistic, compared with first- and
second-order tests of false belief.
Specificity Universality
6
The windows taskRussell et al (1991)
Hughes Russell (1993) devised a version that
did not involve an opponent. They got the same
results
7
Is executive dysfunction and autism one and the
same thing?

• No Adults who acquire executive dysfunction as
  not autistic.
• Maybe there has to be a special cocktail of
  executive dysfunction and development?
• No Welsh et al (1990) studied children with PKU
  raised on a diet free of phenylalanine. They had
  measured intelligence in the normal range but
  showed impairments on tests of EF.
• Despite that, few were diagnosed autistic.
• Studies that match executive demands but contrast
  theory of mind content.

8
False photo testLeslie Thaiss (1992)
9
Message-desire taskMitchell et al (1997)
10
Comorbidity and other disorders where executive
dysfunction might be implicated

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Pragmatic Language Impairment
• Specific Language Impairment
• Tourette Syndrome

11
Does executive dysfunction explain lack of common
sense and naivety in conversationRajendran et al
(2004)
12
(No Transcript)
13
(No Transcript)