Ware, Ashley L.;
Crocker, Nicole;
O'Brien, Jessica W.;
Deweese, Benjamin N.;
Roesch, Scott C.;
Coles, Claire D.;
Kable, Julie A.;
May, Philip A.;
Kalberg, Wendy O.;
Sowell, Elizabeth R.;
Jones, Kenneth Lyons;
Riley, Edward P.;
Mattson, Sarah N.
Executive Function Predicts Adaptive Behavior in Children with Histories of Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Executive Function Predicts Adaptive Behavior in Children with Histories of Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Contributor:
Ware, Ashley L.;
Crocker, Nicole;
O'Brien, Jessica W.;
Deweese, Benjamin N.;
Roesch, Scott C.;
Coles, Claire D.;
Kable, Julie A.;
May, Philip A.;
Kalberg, Wendy O.;
Sowell, Elizabeth R.;
Jones, Kenneth Lyons;
Riley, Edward P.;
Mattson, Sarah N.
imprint:
Wiley, 2012
Published in:Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
Description:
<jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>Prenatal exposure to alcohol often results in disruption to discrete cognitive and behavioral domains, including executive function (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EF</jats:styled-content>) and adaptive functioning. In the current study, the relation between these 2 domains was examined in children with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure, nonexposed children with a diagnosis of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ADHD</jats:styled-content>), and typically developing controls.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>As part of a multisite study, 3 groups of children (8 to 18 years, <jats:italic>M</jats:italic> = 12.10) were tested: children with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ALC</jats:styled-content>,<jats:italic> n</jats:italic> = 142), nonexposed children with <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ADHD</jats:styled-content> (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ADHD</jats:styled-content>,<jats:italic> n</jats:italic> = 82), and typically developing controls (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CON</jats:styled-content>,<jats:italic> n</jats:italic> = 133) who did not have <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ADHD</jats:styled-content> or a history of prenatal alcohol exposure. Children completed subtests of the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">D</jats:styled-content>elis–<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">K</jats:styled-content>aplan Executive Function System (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">D</jats:styled-content>‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">KEFS</jats:styled-content>), and their primary caregivers completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">II</jats:styled-content>. Data were analyzed using regression analyses.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Analyses showed that <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EF</jats:styled-content> measures were predictive of adaptive abilities, and significant interactions between D‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">KEFS</jats:styled-content> measures and group were present. For the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ADHD</jats:styled-content> group, the relation between adaptive abilities and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EF</jats:styled-content> was more general, with 3 of the 4 <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EF</jats:styled-content> measures showing a significant relation with adaptive score. In contrast, for the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ALC</jats:styled-content> group, this relation was specific to the nonverbal <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EF</jats:styled-content> measures. In the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CON</jats:styled-content> group, performance on <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EF</jats:styled-content> tasks did not predict adaptive scores over the influence of age.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>These results support prior research in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ADHD</jats:styled-content>, suggesting that <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EF</jats:styled-content> deficits are predictive of poorer adaptive behavior and extend this finding to include children with heavy prenatal exposure to alcohol. However, the relation between <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EF</jats:styled-content> and adaptive ability differed by group, suggesting unique patterns of abilities in these children. These results provide enhanced understanding of adaptive deficits in these populations, as well as demonstrate the ecological validity of laboratory measures of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">EF</jats:styled-content>.</jats:p></jats:sec>