Associations Among Symptoms of Autism, Symptoms of Depression and Executive Functions in Children with High-Functioning Autism: A 2 Year Follow-Up Study

This study investigated the course of and association among changes in autism symptoms, depression symptoms and executive functions (EF) in children with high-functioning autism (HFA). Thirty-four children with HFA and 45 typically developing children (age 9–16) were assessed at baseline and after 2...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2015-08, Vol.45 (8), p.2497-2507
Main Authors: Andersen, Per Normann, Skogli, Erik Winther, Hovik, Kjell Tore, Egeland, Jens, Øie, Merete
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Autism
Autistic Disorder - diagnosis
Autistic Disorder - psychology
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Child
Child and School Psychology
Children
Comorbidity
Correlation
Depression (Psychology)
Depression - diagnosis
Executive Function
Executive Function - physiology
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Followup Studies
Humans
Male
Neuropsychological Tests
Neurosciences
Original Paper
Parents
Pediatrics
Psychology
Public Health
Scores
Symptom Assessment
Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
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Summary:This study investigated the course of and association among changes in autism symptoms, depression symptoms and executive functions (EF) in children with high-functioning autism (HFA). Thirty-four children with HFA and 45 typically developing children (age 9–16) were assessed at baseline and after 2 years. Children with HFA had impaired scores on all measures at both time points. According to parent reports, depressive symptoms decreased over time, while EF improved and autism symptoms were stable. Children’s reports did not reveal less depressive symptoms over time. A positive association was found only between changes in autism symptoms and changes in symptoms of depression. A possible implication is that interventions aimed at either autism symptoms or symptoms of depression may improve the other.
ISSN:0162-3257
1573-3432
DOI:10.1007/s10803-015-2415-8