ASD shows a distinct executive dysfunction profile of impaired cognitive flexibility and planning with intact inhibitory control¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2015 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

Reading the evidence codes

q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.

This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.

q2 i? ASD is characterized by impaired cognitive flexibility and planning abilities with intact inhibitory control, and cognitive inflexibility is associated with higher levels of restricted and repetitive behaviors. → Dajani 2015

Evidence¶

Dajani 2015¶

Dajani, D. R., & Uddin, L. Q. (2015). Demystifying cognitive flexibility: Implications for clinical and developmental neuroscience. Trends in Neurosciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2015.07.003

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review of clinical literature. Cognitive inflexibility in ASD "is associated with higher levels of RRBs". Although flexibility deficits may be present in ASD, ADHD and OCD, the review states flexibility may be most profoundly impacted in ASD and is specifically linked with its core symptomatology.

"ASD is characterized by a distinct executive dysfunction profile of impaired cognitive flexibility and planning abilities, with intact inhibitory control"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

Autism Spectrum Disorder — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

The four published neuroimaging studies of cognitive flexibility in ASD report inconsistent activation differences, with altered profiles possibly compensatory — related
Cognitive flexibility develops protractedly: sharp increase between 7 and 9 years, largely mature by age 10, peaking between 21 and 30
Cognitive flexibility uniquely predicts literacy achievement in Grades 4 and 6, above and beyond fluid intelligence, attention, inhibitory control, working memory, and planning
Meta-analyses identify a distributed frontoparietal network for flexible switching including vlPFC, dlPFC, ACC, right AI, parietal and subcortical regions
Neural variability and flexibility may underlie cognitive flexibility, with an optimal level required across the lifespan
Inhibitory control is the EDF subdomain most repeatedly linked to ADHD

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`claim`
`id`	`asd-flexibility-deficit-intact-inhibition`
`title`	`ASD shows a distinct executive dysfunction profile of impaired cognitive flexibility and planning with intact inhibitory control`
`description`	`ASD shows a distinct executive dysfunction profile of impaired cognitive flexibility and planning with intact inhibitory control`
`status`	`review`
`evidence_strength`	`moderate`
`newest_evidence`	`2015`
`generated`	by `process:wiki-ingest` on `2026-10-17`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `dajani-2015`

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