The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a structured executive function training program can improve executive function, adaptive behavior, and self-regulation in elementary school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The main questions it aims to answer are: Does the program improve participants' executive function skills and their ability to use these skills in daily life? Does the program improve participants' adaptive behavior and self-regulation? Researchers will compare participants who receive the executive function training program with participants in a waitlist control group to determine whether the program is effective. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the waitlist control group and will complete assessments before and after the intervention. The intervention consists of a structured, group-based program provided once a week for 12 weeks. Children participate in sessions designed to teach and practice executive function strategies, while their parents participate in parent education and review of home practice to support the use of these skills in daily life. The program focuses on skills such as planning and prioritizing, organization, time management and task initiation, emotional and impulse control, and flexible thinking. Participants practice applying these strategies to situations encountered at home, at school, and in everyday life.
Executive function refers to a set of skills that support goal-directed behavior and independent functioning, including planning, organization, task initiation, time management, emotional and impulse control, flexible thinking, working memory, and self-monitoring. Difficulties in executive function may affect how children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) manage everyday demands at home, at school, and in social situations. These difficulties may also be related to adaptive functioning and self-regulation. This study evaluates a structured executive function training program developed for elementary school students with ASD. The program is designed to help children understand executive function strategies, practice them in structured activities, and apply them to situations encountered in everyday life. Rather than focusing only on performance on cognitive tasks, the intervention emphasizes the practical use of executive function skills for daily activities, school routines, emotional and behavioral regulation, and interactions with others. The program is delivered in a group format over 12 weekly sessions. Intervention sessions use explicit instruction, therapist modeling, guided practice, role-play and other activities, feedback, and home practice. The major areas addressed include planning and prioritizing, organization, time management and task initiation, emotional and impulse control, and flexible thinking. Visual materials and age-appropriate activities are used to help children understand and practice the strategies. Parents participate in a parallel parent component. They review the skills taught to their children, receive guidance on supporting the use of these strategies, and review the child's home practice with the intervention team. Parent involvement is intended to promote generalization of skills learned during the sessions to everyday settings. Participants are randomly assigned to an intervention group or a waitlist control group. After the initial intervention period and post-intervention assessment, participants in the waitlist control group are also offered the program. The study examines whether participation in the program is associated with improvement in executive function and its use in daily life, as well as adaptive behavior, self-regulation, and related psychosocial functioning.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
A 12-week, structured, group-based executive function training program delivered once weekly to elementary school students aged 9-12 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents. Each weekly session includes an 80-minute child session and a 65-minute parent session. The child sessions use explicit instruction, modeling, guided practice, role-play, feedback, and home practice to teach and practice executive function strategies related to planning and prioritizing, organization, time management and task initiation, emotional and impulse control, and flexible thinking. In parallel, parents receive education on the same executive function topics taught to their children and review their child's home practice. Parent involvement is designed to help children apply and generalize the executive function strategies learned in the program to daily life at home, at school, and in other everyday situations.
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital
Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Executive Function as Assessed by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BRIEF-2)
The BRIEF-2 is a parent-report questionnaire that assesses executive function behaviors in children's everyday life. The Global Executive Composite (GEC), index scores, and individual clinical scale scores will be analyzed to evaluate changes in different aspects of executive functioning. Higher T-scores indicate greater difficulties with executive functioning, whereas lower T-scores indicate fewer difficulties.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately after the 12-week intervention, and 12 weeks after completion of the intervention
Adaptive Behavior as Assessed by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition (Vineland-3)
The Vineland-3 is a standardized measure of adaptive functioning in everyday life. The Adaptive Behavior Composite (ABC) score will be used as the primary outcome measure. Domain scores for Communication, Daily Living Skills, and Socialization will also be analyzed. Higher scores indicate better adaptive functioning.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately after the 12-week intervention, and 12 weeks after completion of the intervention
Emotion Regulation as Assessed by the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC)
The Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) is a 24-item questionnaire that assesses children's emotional regulation and emotional lability/negativity. Items are rated on a 4-point scale from 1 (Never) to 4 (Always). Scores for the Emotion Regulation and Lability/Negativity subscales will be analyzed, with higher Emotion Regulation scores indicating better emotion regulation and higher Lability/Negativity scores indicating greater emotional dysregulation.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately after the 12-week intervention, and 12 weeks after completion of the intervention
Academic Self-Regulation as Assessed by the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A)
The Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) is a child-report measure that assesses children's reasons for engaging in school-related behaviors. It includes four regulatory styles: external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation. Items are rated on a 4-point scale, with higher subscale scores indicating greater endorsement of the corresponding regulatory style. Subscale scores and the Relative Autonomy Index (RAI) will be analyzed, with higher RAI scores indicating more autonomous or self-determined regulation.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately after the 12-week intervention, and 12 weeks after completion of the intervention
Prosocial Self-Regulation as Assessed by the Prosocial Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-P)
The Prosocial Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-P) is a child-report measure that assesses children's reasons for engaging in prosocial behaviors. It includes three regulatory styles: external regulation, introjected regulation, and identified regulation. Items are rated on a 4-point scale, with higher subscale scores indicating greater endorsement of the corresponding regulatory style. Subscale scores will be analyzed to assess changes in the regulation of prosocial behavior.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately after the 12-week intervention, and 12 weeks after completion of the intervention
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