Abstract：
Individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis show impairment in executive function (EF). However, findings are mixed regarding differences in the age effect on EF between autistic individuals and persons with typical development (TD). Questions remain regarding whether the age-related trajectories of EF in ASD are the same as or different from those in TD. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses of longitudinal studies that compared age-related changes in EF between ASD and TD groups (preregistration: osf.io/j5764). A literature search was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science on January 29, 2024. After screening by two independent reviewers, 14 longitudinal studies were included. Random-effects meta-analyses of studies involving a maximum total of 518 autistic and 3558 TD children and adolescents (mean baseline ages: 5.7-12.0 years) showed that ASD had significantly poorer EF than TD at both baseline and follow-up. However, there was no significant group difference in the age-related change in EF across domains, including working memory, inhibition, shifting, and planning. Robust Bayesian meta-analyses also provided substantial evidence in favor of the null hypothesis that ASD and TD groups showed similar changes over time for most EF processes. Limitations of the literature included the limited number of longitudinal studies and a narrow range of developmental stages and EF constructs analyzed across studies. Altogether, these findings suggest that autistic children and adolescents generally can improve in EF over time similarly to their neurotypical peers. This has important implications for parents and educators, encouraging appropriate EF training and intervention for autistic children and adolescents at an early stage.
摘要：
患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）诊断的个体显示执行功能（EF）受损。然而,关于自闭症个体和具有典型发育（TD）的人之间年龄对EF的影响差异的发现是混合的。关于ASD中EF的年龄相关轨迹是否与TD中的相同或不同，仍然存在疑问。为了弥合这种知识差距，我们对纵向研究进行了系统综述和荟萃分析,比较了ASD组和TD组之间与年龄相关的EF变化(预注册:osf.io/j5764).使用PubMed进行了文献检索，PsycINFO,和WebofScience于2024年1月29日发布。经过两位独立审稿人的筛选,包括14项纵向研究。对总共涉及518名自闭症患者和3558名TD儿童和青少年（平均基线年龄：5.7-12.0岁）的研究进行的随机效应荟萃分析显示，ASD在基线和随访时的EF均明显低于TD。然而,不同领域的EF与年龄相关的变化没有显著的组间差异，包括工作记忆，抑制,shifting,和规划。稳健的贝叶斯荟萃分析也提供了支持零假设的大量证据，即ASD和TD组在大多数EF过程中随着时间的推移显示出相似的变化。文献的局限性包括有限的纵向研究和狭窄的发育阶段范围以及跨研究分析的EF结构。总之,这些研究结果表明,自闭症儿童和青少年的EF通常可以随着时间的推移而改善,与他们的神经典型同龄人相似.这对家长和教育工作者具有重要意义,鼓励在早期阶段对自闭症儿童和青少年进行适当的EF培训和干预。
