Executive Functioning in 60+ Autistic Males: The Discrepancy Between Experienced Challenges and Cognitive Performance

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Executive functioning (EF) is vulnerable to age-related cognitive decline.
• Autism spectrum condition (ASC) can present unique challenges in later life, especially with late-life diagnoses.
• Understanding EF in aging autistic populations is crucial for targeted support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare executive functioning in older males with and without autism spectrum condition.
• To investigate subjective versus objective measures of EF in this demographic.
• To identify underlying factors contributing to reported EF challenges in late-diagnosed autistic men.

Main Methods:

• Multi-method assessment of EF across cognitive flexibility, planning, processing speed, and working memory.
• Inclusion of 50 males (60-85 years) with late adulthood ASC diagnosis and 51 non-ASC males (60-83 years).
• Utilized objective cognitive tests alongside self- and proxy-report measures (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version).

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in objective cognitive performance on EF tasks between the two groups.
• Autistic males and their proxies reported significantly more EF challenges on subjective measures compared to non-ASC males.
• Subjective reports of EF difficulties were more pronounced in the late-diagnosed autistic group.

Conclusions:

• Subjective reports of executive functioning challenges are elevated in older autistic men, despite objective performance parity.
• Understanding the basis of these subjective EF problems is essential for developing effective support strategies for daily life.
• This highlights the importance of considering self- and proxy-reported data in assessing EF in aging autistic individuals.