Executive Functioning in 60+Autistic Males: The Discrepancy Between Experienced Challenges and Cognitive Performance

Hilde M. Geurts; S. E. Pol; J. Lobbestael; Claudia J. P. Simons

doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04368-9

Executive Functioning in 60+Autistic Males: The Discrepancy Between Experienced Challenges and Cognitive Performance

Hilde M. Geurts^*, S. E. Pol, J. Lobbestael, Claudia J. P. Simons^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

As executive functioning (EF) is especially sensitive to age-related cognitive decline, EF was evaluated by using a multi-method assessment. Fifty males (60-85 years) with a late adulthood autism spectrum condition (ASC) diagnosis and 51 non-ASC males (60-83 years) were compared on cognitive tests across EF domains (cognitive flexibility, planning, processing speed, and working memory) and a self- and proxy report of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version. While no objective performance differences emerged, autistic males and their proxies did report more EF challenges than non-ASC males on the subjective measure. In order to know how to support the older autistic men who received their ASC diagnosis in late adulthood with their daily life EF challenges, it is important to understand what underlies these subjective EF problems.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1380-1390
Number of pages	11
Journal	Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Volume	50
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04368-9
Publication status	Published - Apr 2020

Keywords

Old age
Autism
Cognition
Executive function
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
AGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES
ADULT LIFE-SPAN
OLDER-ADULTS
SELF-REPORT
VALIDITY
PATTERNS
DECLINE
TESTS

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Cite this

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title = "Executive Functioning in 60+Autistic Males: The Discrepancy Between Experienced Challenges and Cognitive Performance",

abstract = "As executive functioning (EF) is especially sensitive to age-related cognitive decline, EF was evaluated by using a multi-method assessment. Fifty males (60-85 years) with a late adulthood autism spectrum condition (ASC) diagnosis and 51 non-ASC males (60-83 years) were compared on cognitive tests across EF domains (cognitive flexibility, planning, processing speed, and working memory) and a self- and proxy report of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version. While no objective performance differences emerged, autistic males and their proxies did report more EF challenges than non-ASC males on the subjective measure. In order to know how to support the older autistic men who received their ASC diagnosis in late adulthood with their daily life EF challenges, it is important to understand what underlies these subjective EF problems.",

keywords = "Old age, Autism, Cognition, Executive function, AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER, AGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES, ADULT LIFE-SPAN, OLDER-ADULTS, SELF-REPORT, VALIDITY, PATTERNS, DECLINE, TESTS",

author = "Geurts, {Hilde M.} and Pol, {S. E.} and J. Lobbestael and Simons, {Claudia J. P.}",

note = "Funding Information: This study was funded by GGzE. We would like to thank all participants, Annelies Spek who consulted during the setup of the study, and Janou Herder, who helped SEP with data collection. This study was part of the educational program of GGzE Institute for Mental Health Care Eindhoven and RINO Zuid. SEP, when working as a clinician in GGzE, set up the study, collected the data, checked the data, ran the primary analyses, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript for his postdoctoral clinical psychology program. JL, CJPS supervised the study. HMG wrote the final manuscript, checked the data, and reran the analyses and added new analyses based on recent related reports. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020, The Author(s).",

year = "2020",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1007/s10803-020-04368-9",

language = "English",

volume = "50",

pages = "1380--1390",

journal = "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders",

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T2 - The Discrepancy Between Experienced Challenges and Cognitive Performance

AU - Geurts, Hilde M.

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AU - Lobbestael, J.

AU - Simons, Claudia J. P.

N1 - Funding Information: This study was funded by GGzE. We would like to thank all participants, Annelies Spek who consulted during the setup of the study, and Janou Herder, who helped SEP with data collection. This study was part of the educational program of GGzE Institute for Mental Health Care Eindhoven and RINO Zuid. SEP, when working as a clinician in GGzE, set up the study, collected the data, checked the data, ran the primary analyses, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript for his postdoctoral clinical psychology program. JL, CJPS supervised the study. HMG wrote the final manuscript, checked the data, and reran the analyses and added new analyses based on recent related reports. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2020, The Author(s).

PY - 2020/4

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N2 - As executive functioning (EF) is especially sensitive to age-related cognitive decline, EF was evaluated by using a multi-method assessment. Fifty males (60-85 years) with a late adulthood autism spectrum condition (ASC) diagnosis and 51 non-ASC males (60-83 years) were compared on cognitive tests across EF domains (cognitive flexibility, planning, processing speed, and working memory) and a self- and proxy report of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version. While no objective performance differences emerged, autistic males and their proxies did report more EF challenges than non-ASC males on the subjective measure. In order to know how to support the older autistic men who received their ASC diagnosis in late adulthood with their daily life EF challenges, it is important to understand what underlies these subjective EF problems.

AB - As executive functioning (EF) is especially sensitive to age-related cognitive decline, EF was evaluated by using a multi-method assessment. Fifty males (60-85 years) with a late adulthood autism spectrum condition (ASC) diagnosis and 51 non-ASC males (60-83 years) were compared on cognitive tests across EF domains (cognitive flexibility, planning, processing speed, and working memory) and a self- and proxy report of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version. While no objective performance differences emerged, autistic males and their proxies did report more EF challenges than non-ASC males on the subjective measure. In order to know how to support the older autistic men who received their ASC diagnosis in late adulthood with their daily life EF challenges, it is important to understand what underlies these subjective EF problems.

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