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A longitudinal study of executive function and theory of mind development in autism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2008

Sally Ozonoff  and
Robin E. McEvoy
Sally Ozonoff*
Affiliation:
University of Utah
Robin E. McEvoy
Affiliation:
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Sally Ozonoff, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112.
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Abstract

Both executive function and theory of mind impairment have been suggested as primary deficits of autism. One test of the primacy of a deficit is its persistence and stability throughout development. This longitudinal study examined development of executive function and theory of mind abilities over a 3-year time period, comparing nonretarded autistic adolescents with learning-disabled controls matched on age, IQ, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES). Results indicate that both executive function and theory of mind abilities are seriously deficient in autistic individuals, improve little with development, may never reach normal functioning levels, and appear to eventually hit a developmental ceiling. Developmental variables showed little relationship to overall task performance or improvement in either cognitive domain. The similar developmental trajectories of executive function and theory of mind performance found in this investigation suggest that these skills may be related and interdependent, rather than independent modules of cognitive function. Implications for the neurological basis of autism and intervention are also discussed.

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Type
Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , Summer 1994 , pp. 415 - 431
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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