AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AND COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY: A COGNITIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY

This article addresses Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and cognitive flexibility (CF). ASD is defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent difficulties in social communication and social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour, activities and/or interests. These symptoms generally appear before early childhood. CF, on the other hand, is the ability to shift from one task to another, where the new task is unfamiliar and novel. CF was assessed in this study among children with ASD compared to typical development (TD). The sample for both groups consisted of children aged between six and twelve years, with each group comprising 19 children. This study employed three tests to evaluate CF, including the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Playing Cards Test (PCT), and the New Card Sorting Test (NCST). According to the data obtained, this study concluded that individuals with ASD suffer from impairments in CF compared to TD. Our findings may explain many of the problems that these children suffer from, especially with regard to interaction, social communication, and stereotypical behaviors.