Executive Functions and Their Development in Neurotypical and Autistic Individuals

These flashcards cover key concepts related to executive functions and their development in neurotypical and autistic individuals.

What is Autism characterized by?

Differences in social interaction and communication, and specialized and intense interests.

What are executive functions (EFs)?

Higher-order cognitive functions responsible for goal-directed behavior, likened to the brain's management system.

What are the three core aspects of executive functions?

Inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility.

How does inhibitory control impact long-term outcomes?

Early inhibitory control predicts positive lifelong outcomes like staying in school and avoiding risky behaviors.

What developmental trends are observed in executive functions for neurotypical individuals?

EFs develop in infancy, with significant improvements from ages 3 to 12, reaching near-adult performance by age 12.

What do mixed results in EF studies for autistic individuals suggest?

Difficulties in EFs may persist across development and require comprehensive assessment methods to understand.

What is the distinction between cold and hot executive functions?

Cold EFs operate without emotional demands, while hot EFs involve emotional or motivational demands.

What brain region primarily supports executive functions?

The prefrontal cortex (PFC), which matures later in life.

What is a common task used to measure executive function?

The Stroop color-word test.

Why are informant-based measures important in understanding EFs?

They provide a comprehensive assessment that can identify differences not captured by standard EF lab tasks.