The DOI matches its Crossref record; 55 of the 55 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Executive Function: Cognition and Behaviour in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Open accessAbstract
Studies of executive function (EF) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reported mixed findings. Possible confounds include EF domain assessed and co-occurring neurodevelopmental diagnoses. EF task performance across multiple domains and everyday function of autistic adults (n = 110) was significantly different to age- and IQ-matched controls (n = 31). Although significantly more likely to fall into the clinically impaired range, 35.8% of the ASD group showed no impairment on EF measures. Factor analysis revealed a single unifying EF construct rather than a selective pattern of impairment. Dysexecutive behaviours were frequently reported in the ASD group, unrelated to Autism symptoms, EF task performance or co-occurring conditions. This study suggests autistic adults can experience clinically significant executive function difficulties and co-occuring dysexecutive behaviours that are disabling in everyday life.
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“Other strategies may require sustained attention, focus and out-of-session practice to maximize effectiveness, which may be challenging for autistic adults who often have cooccurring executive functioning difficulties (Johnston et al., 2019).”
From A mixed methods study of autistic adults' mental health therapy experiences (2023) · cites this paper as Johnston et al., 2019
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“Autistic adults who have problems with attention and concentration (Johnston et al., 2019) may need additional supports to facilitate focussed awareness.”
From A mixed methods study of autistic adults' mental health therapy experiences (2023) · cites this paper as Johnston et al., 2019
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Cites
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Cited by
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Items 101–113 of 113
A cognitive model of autismPreprint
Friesen, L. (2025) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/kvhac_v1
Effectiveness of a group-based time-management intervention: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial
Lidström-Holmqvist, K., Wingren, M., Udumyran, R., & Holmefur, M. (2026) · Disability and Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09638288.2026.2614218
“In people with ADHD, autism and mental disorders, deficits in executive functions are common and cause problems in daily life related to reduced time management and are often reported in both people with ADHD [8–10] and autism [11,12].”
Assessing Functional Cognition in Autistic Adults: The Weekly Calendar Planning Activity
Sullivan, A. C., Vas, A. K., Tierney, S., & Toglia, J. (2026) · American Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.5014/ajot.2026.051340
“In addition, highly structured neuropsychological measures often do not reflect real-world complex task performance among autistic adults (Johnston et al., 2019).”
Meng, F., & Xuan, B. (2026) · The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher · doi:10.1007/s40299-026-01105-1
“Autistic traits— encompassing social, communicative, and personality Autistic traits have been linked to difficulties in task initia - tion, cognitive flexibility, and goal-directed behavior, reflect - ing executive dysfunction (Hill, 2004; Johnston et al., 2019).”
Pagán, A. F., Ortiz, M., McCormack-Sadler, B., Esparza, A., Gogola, G., Montiel‐Nava, C., & Loveland, K. A. (2026) · Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science · doi:10.1007/s41347-026-00628-0
“These EF vulnerabilities, particularly in planning, initiation, and cognitive flexibility, directly complicate the process of setting and achieving goals (Hodgetts et al., 2018; Johnston et al., 2019).”
McCrimmon, A. W., Makarenko, E. M., Bernier, A. S., Dickner, S., & Waller, M. (2026) · Autism and child psychopathology series · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-11802-8_10
Fan, L., Guo, Y., Cheung, M., Tian, M., Hu, X., Lv, D., Ling, Y., Wang, Y., Liu, H., Liu, Q., et al. (2026) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health · doi:10.1186/s13034-026-01092-7
“Growing evidence suggests that EF plays a central role not only in the core symptomatology of autism but also in associated functional impairments, including behavioral regulation and social adaptation [17–20].”
Lodge, D., Vinter, L. P., Lennon, H., & Lan, W. (2026) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-026-07374-5
Pehlivanidis, A., Giannoulis, E., Kalantzi, E., Papaiakovou, A., Βokou, A., Korobili, K., Stamatiadi, D., & Papanikolaou, Κ. (2026) · Research in Autism · doi:10.1016/j.reia.2026.202991
Deception detection in young adults: Autistic traits, inhibition, and theory of mind
Martin, L. A., Coburn, K. L., Vanderburgh, C., & Kana, R. K. (2026) · Research in Neurodiversity · doi:10.1016/j.rin.2026.100073
Cognitive Aging Patterns in Autism: Parallel, Accelerated, or Safeguarded?
Bessé, M., Gomot, M., Capdeville, J., Prevost, P., Tuller, L., Bouazzaoui, B., Taconnat, L., Houy‐Durand, E., Angel, L., & Morel‐Kohlmeyer, S. (2026) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-026-07478-y
ENGELEN, M. P. K. J., Thompson, J., Wandel, S. M. D., Knezek, S. B., Indika, N.-L. R., & Deutz, N. E. P. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10895531/v1
Pagán, A. F., Sattem, G., Maurano, K., Hernandez, L., Loveland, K. A., & Acierno, R. E. (2026) · Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1177/10883576261484925
“EF acts as the brain’s management system, encompassing the mental processes required for goal-directed behavior (Johnston et al., 2019).”
Metadata
- Authors
- Johnston, K., Murray, K., Spain, D., Walker, I., & Russell, A.
- Affiliations
- National Health Service (GB)
- King's College London (GB)
- University of Bath (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Russell, Ailsa
- Venue
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Published
- 2019-07-08
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 4181-4192
- ISSN
- 0162-3257 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3432
- PMC
- PMC6751156
- OpenAlex
- W2960029572
- Cited by
- 113
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 9
- FWCI
- 6.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Keywords
- executive function, autism spectrum disorder, autistic adults, daily functioning, executive dysfunction
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adult, Cognition, Female, Humans, Male, Executive Function
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