title: Autism Spectrum Disorder and intact executive functioning.
abstract: Earliest notions concerning autism (Autism Spectrum Disorders, ASD) describe the disturbance in executive functioning. Despite altered definition, executive functioning, expressed as higher cognitive skills required complex behaviors linked to the prefrontal cortex, are defective in autism. Specific difficulties in children presenting autism or verbal disabilities at executive functioning levels have been identified. Nevertheless, the developmental deficit of executive functioning in autism is highly diversified with huge individual variation and may even be absent. The aim of the present study to examine the current standing of intact executive functioning intact in ASD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of ASD populations, whether high-functioning, Asperger's or autism Broad Phenotype, studied over a range of executive functions including response inhibition, planning, cognitive flexibility, cognitive inhibition, and alerting networks indicates an absence of damage/impairment compared to the typically-developed normal control subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings of intact executive functioning in ASD subjects provide a strong foundation on which to construct applications for growth environments and the rehabilitation of autistic subjects.
authors.affiliation: Student, doctoral school of the Faculty of Biology and Medicine, Unil ( University of Lausanne).
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.affiliation: Francoise Ansermet, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva. Chef of service, Department of child and adolescent psychiatry, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Geneva & Department of psychiatry, University of Geneva.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ansermet
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, Legal Medicine and Locomotor apparatus. University Sapienza of Rome.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Massoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, Legal Medicine and Locomotor apparatus. University Sapienza of Rome.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Petrone
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, Legal Medicine and Locomotor apparatus. University Sapienza of Rome.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Onofri
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, Legal Medicine and Locomotor apparatus. University Sapienza of Rome.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Archer
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, Legal Medicine and Locomotor apparatus. University Sapienza of Rome.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ricci
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder; D001321:Autistic Disorder; D002648:Child; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
keywords: ASD; Autism; Executive functioning; Intact