Executive Function/Attention Deficits in Boys with Asperger Syndrome, Attention Disorder and Reading/Writing Disorder

Executive function/attention deficits were examined in children with Asperger syndrome, attention disorder and reading/ writing disorder and in a group of normal children. Neuropsychological tests as well as cognitive tasks measuring different components in the processing of information were used. The measures were divided into Mirsky’s four components of attention, namely ‘sustain’,‘focus-execute’,‘shift’ and ‘encode’. All abnormal groups differed markedly from the normal group on measures of executive function/attention. The group diagnosed as having attention disorder showed the most consistent difficulties. However, no specific marker of ‘executive function deficits’ that could represent the three different disorders was found.