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Pseudo-random number generation in children with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s disorder

Further evidence for a dissociation in executive functioning?

School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Australia, nicole.rinehart{at}med.monash.edu.au

John L. Bradshaw

School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Australia

Simon A. Moss

School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Australia

Avril V. Brereton

School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Australia

Bruce J. Tonge

School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Australia

The repetitive, stereotyped and obsessive behaviours, which are core diagnostic features of autism, are thought to be underpinned by executive dysfunction. This study examined executive impairment in individuals with autism and Asperger’s disorder using a verbal equivalent of an established pseudo-random number generating task. Different patterns of disinhibition emerged in the autism (n = 12) and Asperger’s disorder (n = 12) groups. Consistent with previous research, the autism group repeated single numbers (e.g. 2, 2, 2) more frequently than the control group. In contrast to past research suggesting intact executive abilities, this study found that the Asperger’s disorder group generated more repetitive number patterns (e.g. 45, 45) than the controls. Executive functioning in children with Asperger’s disorder may be particularly vulnerable to a lack of visual cueing and concrete rules. Qualitative differences in executive dysfunction between these groups may implicate differential disruption within the fronto-striatal circuitry.

Key Words: Asperger’s disorder • executive dysfunction • high-functioning autism • number generation

Autism, Vol. 10, No. 1, 70-85 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1362361306062011


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