Is There any Correlation Between Executive Dysfunction and Behavioral Symptoms in Autistic Children? A Systematic Review

Abstract

Context: The relationship between executive dysfunction and behavioral symptoms in high-functioning autism is of great interest to researchers. Evidence Acquisition: This systematic review was conducted among articles, which were published before September 15, 2017 and were available in scientific databases, including Medline and Embase. Results: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 16 articles were selected. All articles showed 4 and 5 basis points on the PEDro scale and had moderate quality. Also, according to the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) scale, the level of evidence was poor to moderate among articles. Conclusions: Based on the available information, executive dysfunction may be associated with behavioral symptoms. However, further research is required to determine the exact relationship between executive function and behavioral symptoms.