Executive function in parents of children with autism
Executive function in parents of children with autism
复制标题
DOI：
10.1017/s0033291796004308
复制
发表时间：
1997-01-01
影响因子：
6.9
通讯作者：
Bouvard, M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hughes, C;Leboyer, M;Bouvard, M
背景。先前的研究表明，自闭症患者在执行功能测试中表现出较差的表现（Ozonoff et al. 1991, 1993; Hughes & Russell, 1993; Hughes et al. 1994）。还有强有力的证据表明自闭症与遗传有关（参见 Rutter，1991 年综述）。如果执行功能障碍是自闭症的核心损伤，那么可以假设自闭症儿童的父母中也存在类似的更微妙的损伤。方法。对 40 名自闭症儿童的家长、40 名学习障碍儿童的家长以及 36 名未受影响家庭的成年人进行了三项计算机执行功能测试的比较。这些任务利用了注意力转移技能、视觉空间规划和工作记忆。参与者还接受了空间记忆广度的计算机控制测试。此外，访问员对家庭成员的初步印象是使用新的 33 项调查问卷进行编码的。结果。很大一部分自闭症儿童的父母（尤其是父亲）表现出执行功能受损。相比之下，父母在空间跨度控制测试和任务的其他“非执行”测量方面的表现与两个对照组一样，这表明自闭症组与对照组一样有能力和积极性。有趣的是，自闭症儿童父母的执行功能受损与访谈者测试前对社会异常的印象显着相关。结论。很大一部分自闭症儿童的父母表现出执行功能受损的假设得到了支持。父母表现出良好的记忆能力，但计划能力和注意力灵活性相对较差。这在多大程度上是家庭成员的固有特征，而不是照顾自闭症儿童所面临的困难的反映，还有待检验。
Background. Previous studies have shown that individuals with autism show impaired performance on tests of executive function (Ozonoff et al. 1991, 1993; Hughes & Russell, 1993; Hughes et al. 1994). There is also strong evidence for genetic involvement in autism (see Rutter, 1991 for review). If executive dysfunction is a core impairment in autism, then similar impairments are hypothesized to exist in a subtler form among the parents of autistic children.Methods. Forty parents of autistic children were compared with 40 parents of learning disabled children and 36 adults from unaffected families on three computerized tests of executive function. These tasks tapped attentional-shifting skills, visuospatial planning and working memory. Participants also received a computerized control test of spatial memory-span. In addition, the interviewer's initial impressions of family members were coded using a new 33-item questionnaire.Results. A significant proportion of parents of autistic children (especially fathers) showed impaired executive function. By contrast, parents did as well as both comparison groups on a control test of spatial span, and on other 'non-executive' measures from the tasks, indicating that the autism group were as able and motivated as comparison groups. Interestingly, impairment of executive function was significantly correlated with the interviewer's pre-test impression of social abnormality among parents of autistic children.Conclusions. The hypothesis that a significant proportion of parents of autistic children show impaired executive function was supported. Parents showed good memory ability, but relatively poor planning skills and attentional flexibility. The extent to which this is an inherent trait in family members, rather than a reflection of the difficulties involved in caring for an autistic child, remains to be examined.