Abstract
This manuscript aimed to advance our understanding of inhibitory control (IC) in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), adopting a meta-analytic multilevel approach. The first meta-analysis, on 164 studies adopting direct measures, indicated a significant small-to-medium (g = 0.484) deficit in the group with ASD (n = 5140) compared with controls (n = 6075). Similar effect sizes between response inhibition and interference control were found, but they were differentially affected by intellectual functioning and age. The second meta-analysis, on 24 studies using indirect measures, revealed a large deficit (g = 1.334) in the group with ASD (n = 985) compared with controls (n = 1300). Presentation format, intellectual functioning, and age were significant moderators. The effect of comorbidity with ADHD was not statistically significant. Implications are discussed for IC research and practice in autism.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by IT, DG, and MCU. The first draft of the manuscript was written by IT and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Tonizzi, I., Giofrè, D. & Usai, M.C. Inhibitory Control in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Meta-analyses on Indirect and Direct Measures. J Autism Dev Disord 52, 4949–4965 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05353-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05353-6