Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in socialization, communication, and restricted interests or repetitive behavior. In recent years, the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders is increasing. It has been found that the identification of individuals who are on the milder end of spectrum has also increased. The aim of the current study is to bring greater clarity to our understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically, the purpose of present study is to explore two cognitive theories of ASD namely, the Theory of Mind (ToM) and the Executive Functioning (EF) theory, and their relationship in children and adolescents with autism. In addition, the study aims to investigate the developmental trajectory of ToM and EF. Specifically, the research aims to address the following questions: (a) Are children and adolescents with autism impaired on the different aspects of theory of mind i.e. on false-belief attribution, identification of mental states, and empathizing skills? (b) Are the different domains of executive functions i.e. inhibition, cognitive flexibility, planning, and working memory impaired in children and adolescents with autism? (c) Is there a relationship between the theory of mind and the executive functioning? (d) Which domains of EF and ToM are more closely related to each other? (e) Are there any age-related changes in ToM and EF abilities? A total of 56 children participated in the present study including a group of children with High Functioning Autism (HFA; n= 28) and a control group of Typically Developing children (TD; n= 28) matched on chronological age, gender, non-verbal, and verbal ability (receptive vocabulary). To investigate developmental effects in children with ASD and TD children were divided into a younger (8-12 years: n = 28 with 14 children with HFA and 14 TD children) and an older (13-17 years: n = 28 with 14 TD children and 14 with HFA) subgroup. Consistent with the executive dysfunction hypothesis of autism, individuals with HFA were significantly poorer on parent-report measures as well as performance measures of EF (inhibition, cognitive flexibility, planning, and working memory) in comparison with typically developing control group. Similarly, consistent with the ToM hypothesis, deficits were found on performance (attribution of false-belief and identification of mental states) and parent-report