Online Resource 1

Part of the article entitled ‘Executive functioning in autism spectrum disorders: Influence of task and sample characteristics and relation to symptom severity’ in the journal ‘European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’ by Lien Van Eylen, Bart Boets, Jean Steyaert, Johan Wagemans, and Ilse Noens from the KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Correspondence to

Table 1
Characteristics of all matched subsamples
N / Age
Mean (SD) / FSIQ
Mean (SD) / Gender ratio
M:F / Group ratio
ASD:TD
ASD / 50 / 12.21 (2.58) / 104.32 (10.83) / 30:20 / -
- Children / 25 / 10.13 (1.30) / 102.38 (9.40) / 14:11 / -
Male / 14 / 10.55 (1.20) / 103.82 (9.68) / - / -
Female / 11 / 9.58 (1.28) / 100.55 (9.16) / - / -
- Adolescents / 25 / 14.30 (1.66) / 106.26 (11.97) / 16:9 / -
Male / 16 / 13.89 (1.15) / 108.00 (13.96) / - / -
Female / 9 / 15.03 (2.21) / 103.17 (6.91) / - / -
- Male / 30 / 12.33 (2.05) / 106.05 (12.14) / - / -
- Female / 20 / 12.04 (3.26) / 101.73 (8.13) / - / -
TD / 50 / 12.48 (2.72) / 107.72 (9.30) / 30:20 / -
- Children / 24 / 10.25 (1.15) / 107.38 (8.28) / 15:9 / -
Male / 15 / 10.22 (1.12) / 107.17 (8.55) / - / -
Female / 9 / 10.28 (1.26) / 107.72 (8.32) / - / -
- Adolescents / 26 / 14.54 (2.03) / 108.04 (10.30) / 15:11 / -
Male / 15 / 14.03 (1.34) / 108.27 (10.02) / - / -
Female / 11 / 15.24 (2.61) / 107.73 (11.15) / - / -
- Male / 30 / 12.13 (2.28) / 107.72 (9.17) / - / -
- Female / 20 / 13.01 (3.26) / 107.73 (9.73) / - / -
Children / 49 / 10.18 (1.22) / 104.83 (9.14) / 29:20 / 25:24
- Male / 29 / 10.38 (1.15) / 105.55 (9.10) / - / 14:15
- Female / 20 / 9.90 (1.29) / 103.78 (9.31) / - / 11:9
Adolescents / 51 / 14.42 (1.84) / 107.17 (11.07) / 31:20 / 25:26
- Male / 31 / 13.95 (1.22) / 108.13 (12.01) / - / 16:15
- Female / 20 / 15.15 (2.38) / 105.68 (9.54) / - / 9:11
Male / 60 / 12.23 (2.15) / 106.88 (10.70) / - / 30:30
Female / 40 / 12.52 (3.26) / 104.73 (9.35) / - / 20:20

Table 2

Spearman correlations between the main outcome measures of the laboratory EF tasks, corrected for age and FSIQ (N = 117 unless indicated differently)

% No-Go errors / Flanker inhibition cost RT / Flanker inhibition cost % errors / WCST-WCTS switch cost RT (N = 109) / WCST-WCTS perseverative errors / Switch task switch cost RT (N = 116) / Switch task switch cost % errors (N = 116) / Uses of Objects correct responses (N = 102) / Design fluency correct responses / SWM Total errors(N = 116) / Spatial Span Corrects trials (N = 116) / Tower move accuracy ratio
% No-Go errors / - / .15 / .27** / .13 / .18* / .23* / .20* / -.03 / -.04 / .11 / -.18* / .12
Flanker inhibition cost RT / .15 / - / .00 / -.16° / .03 / .04 / -.04 / -.06 / .04 / -.14 / -.03 / .04
Flanker inhibition cost % errors / .27** / .00 / - / -.02 / .04 / .06 / .17° / -.12 / .13 / .21* / .01 / .14
WCST-WCTS switch cost RT (N = 109) / .13 / -.16° / -.02 / - / .10 / -.02 / -.02 / -.05 / .04 / .01 / .13 / .04
WCST-WCTS perseverative errors / .18* / .03 / .04 / .10 / - / .16° / .15 / -.12 / .09 / .27** / -.14 / .24**
Switch task switch cost RT (N = 116) / .23* / .04 / .06 / -.02 / .16° / - / -.12 / -.15 / -.09 / .09 / -.06 / -.01
Switch task switch cost % errors (N = 116) / .20* / -.04 / .17° / -.02 / .15 / -.12 / - / -.12 / -.03 / .18* / -.11 / -.01
Uses of Objects correct responses (N = 102) / -.03 / -.06 / -.12 / -.05 / -.12 / -.15 / -.12 / - / .09 / -.12 / -.11 / .01
Design Fluency correct responses / -.04 / .04 / .13 / .04 / .09 / -.09 / -.03 / .09 / - / .03 / .25** / .02
SWM Total errors (N = 116) / .11 / -.14 / .21* / .01 / .27** / .09 / .18* / -.12 / .03 / - / -.24* / .13
Spatial Span correct trials (N = 116) / -.18* / -.03 / .01 / .13 / -.14 / -.06 / -.11 / -.11 / .25** / -.24* / - / -.10
Tower move accuracy ratio / .12 / .04 / .14 / .04 / .24** / -.01 / -.01 / .01 / .02 / .13 / -.10 / -

° p < .10; * p < .05; ** p <.01; WCST-WCTS: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test With Controlled Task switching; SWM: Spatial Working Memory