Executive Function Intervention in Autism: A Case Study Approach

Abstract

Executive Functioning is a repertoire of a number of complex brain (frontal lobe) abilities that helps to perform goal-directed daily activities with ease. In most of the time this function remains discretely unnoticed because it becomes so typical with human daily activities like planning, working memory functions, set shifting, sequencing  etc. unless there is a difficulty in performing such task requiring executive skills. Research has demonstrated that deficits in executive functions are a robust correlate of autism. The present study aims to bring out the efficacy of executive skills, ways of intervening such skills in autism and to figure out the effect of such intervention in their daily life activities. Case study approach has been selected as the methodology. Two cases have been selected and the sessions were conducted on individual basis. Apart from this, case history and observation in both home setting and in formal session has been considered to analyse the data. Sessions were conducted in one to one interaction to determine intellectual impairment of the cases by performance box of Colored Progressive Matrices and to determine baseline measure of executive functioning, Tower of London is used. Intervening sessions were conducted by using several equipment and other daily tasks requiring such skills are enquired and observed. Also post intervening sessions were conducted to see the transfer of training. The result showed progress in carrying out activities requiring executive skills involving planning, mental set shifting and working memory and transfer of training is remarkable in mental set shifting task. The present study left a further chance of investigating the scope of trainability of executive functioning in autism considering large number of participants.