1. Sex as a Moderator Between Parent Ratings of Executive Dysfunction and Social Difficulties in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Author
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Tonje Torske, Terje Nærland, Daniel S. Quintana, Ruth Elizabeth Hypher, Anett Kaale, Anne Lise Høyland, Sigrun Hope, Jarle Johannessen, Merete G. Øie, and Ole A. Andreassen
- Subjects
Executive function ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,Autism diagnostic interview revised (ADI-R) ,Autism spectrum disorder ,Behavior rating inventory of executive function (BRIEF) ,Sex diferences - Abstract
Girls and boys might differ in autistic symptoms and associated cognitive difficulties such as executive function (EF). We investigated sex differences in the relationship between parent rated EF and autistic symptoms in 116 children and adolescents (25 girls) aged 5-19 years with an intelligence quotient above 70 and an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. They were rated with the behavior rating inventory of executive function (BRIEF) and the autism diagnostic interview revised (ADI-R). We found a positive association between EF and the ADI-R domains of reciprocal social interaction (p < 0.001) and communication (p = 0.001) in girls, while these relationships were small and non-significant in boys. Our results provide a greater understanding of the sex-specific characteristics of children and adolescents with ASD. Open access funding provided by Vestre Viken Hospital Trust. This project was supported by the National Research Council of Norway (Grant #213694), Stiftelsen K.G.Jebsen (Grant #SKGJ-MED-021) and the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority funds the Regional Research Network NeuroDevelop (Grant #39763). The corresponding author has a research grant from Vestre Viken Hospital Trust (Grant #6903002).
- Published
- 2022